'I knew it.'
Shama's eyes sparkled brighter than ever as Vio grabbed Zaves by the shoulder, forcing him to back off and blocking his path by standing protectively in front of her.
'So broad.'
Even in such a tense situation, Shama couldn't help but study Vio's back. She thought it was the broadest she had ever seen, which was impressive considering she had grown up among villagers with naturally wide frames from years of hard manual labor.
Shama tried to move closer to Vio, but her sister caught her just in time. She stood up and turned to run, but a line of fire blocked their escape.
"Boom!"
The ground shook beneath them. They turned to see Vio looking at them. With a swift wave of his hand, a fierce gust of wind extinguished the fire.
"I don't want to..." Shama began to say before being pulled away by her sister, who didn't even bother explaining the situation. If the chaos around them wasn't enough to scare Shama, would words make a difference?
The two dashed through the narrow alleys, their feet kicking up dust on the dirt paths between the tightly packed houses. All the nearby village homes were ablaze, yet paradoxically, the mountain night remained cold. Even with the raging flames, the air held its chill.
Several villagers, caught in the flames, crossed their path. Unable to help them, the sisters avoided them and kept moving toward the safest point they could find, while the sounds of clashes echoed nearby.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The terror engraved in their hearts by the Furious Nights had taught them to avoid venturing out during this time, even though they knew the barrier protected them. If they did go out for some reason, approaching the barrier was unthinkable, just in case something unexpected happened.
But life always finds a way to surprise you—the thing they avoided for safety now seemed to be their only hope of survival.
The villagers, one after another, gathered near the edge of the village by the barrier, hoping it would protect them from the wrath of the unwelcome intruder as well.
When the sisters finally escaped the burning houses and approached the crowd near the barrier, they heard a distant voice calling.
"Uzair's daughters are here!!" shouted an old man with a beard, the village chief.
They arrived, panting and covered in cold sweat.
"Chief, Shama is Uzair's daughter, but the other woman is just a distant relative," one of the villagers corrected, as though it mattered in this moment.
"Yes, yes," the chief nodded quickly. "My mind is failing me because of the horror that is happening."
The crowd nodded in agreement as the chief cast an apologetic glance at the two women.
Of course, the chief knew exactly who they were, but he almost revealed their secret unintentionally.
Seeing that the others hadn't noticed, Shama's sister began to relax. Her nerves had been worse now than when she faced Zaves earlier.
"Chief, what's going on?" someone asked.
"Why are you asking?" another replied. "One of the honored ones has lost his mind."
"Did... did someone anger him?" one of them stammered, trembling in fear.
"No, it's a demon," the chief announced, and confusion spread across the villagers' faces.
"A demon? What kind of demon?"
"Do you know anything about this?"
"Isn't a demon kind of jinn?"
"I don't know."
"Listen, everyone!" the chief raised his voice to quiet the murmuring. "One of the honored ones visited me a while ago, warning me about demons. I don't know much, but he said they kill without reason."
"Without reason? Are they insane?"
"What do we do now?"
Suddenly, a man ran toward them. He had been standing near the barrier on the other side and, seeing the crowd talking to the chief, rushed over.
"Chief!" the man called out urgently. "I saw one of the honored ones fighting another honored one!"
"Thank God, someone is taking care of it," the chief said, and a wave of hope swept through the villagers.
Shama watched their fear with a sense of bewilderment.
'The hero is here, so why are they afraid?'
But when her hero was mentioned and she saw the glimmer of hope in everyone's eyes, she felt a swell of pride.
'A bunch of cowardly old fools. They'll try to win the hero's favor after this, but I believed in him first.'
She covered her face as she remembered Vio protecting her, how he had leapt through the flames to punch that demon. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
Shama felt her sister's eyes on her and turned to meet her gaze. She shook her head as if to say, "What?"
"How?" her sister whispered, careful not to let anyone overhear. "How did you know he was a demon?"
Amid fear, the woman remembered how the demon had asked her sister a question, and Shama had answered confidently, calling him a demon without hesitation.
"It was obvious," Shama shrugged. "Besides, with the hero here, it was clear he was a demon."
Her sister wasn't asking how Shama identified him as a demon but rather how she knew the term "demon" at all. Shama had never been taught anything—not even how to wash dishes.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
As they prayed for this terrifying night to end, their heads turned upward to see purple flames shooting into the sky.
"Oh my God!"
Their faces turned pale, and their mouths went dry as they saw the fireballs targeting them specifically.
"Run!"
The crowd scattered like moths fleeing a flame.
The woman grabbed her sister's hand and started running too.
'System, allocate 60% EP only to my leg joints.'
[Allocation complete.]
Vio's foot slammed into the ground as he launched forward at full speed.
Running – Level 1
Increases the hero's running speed by 10%.
Dash – Level 1
Increases the hero's speed during a dash by 10%.
Jumping – Level 1
Increases the hero's jumping effectiveness by 10%.
Like the wind, he moved, CyborgHeart glowing as it sent electrical energy to his joints.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Every step created a shock wave, and with every lift of his foot, an explosion occurred, leaving craters where he was.
He darted through the alleys like an arrow, heading toward the edge of the village. Halfway there, the purple fireballs began raining down, targeting the villagers.
'Allocate a point.'
[Agility: 31]
Electricity sparks on the surface of his knees as his sphere joint rotated violently, turning him into nothing more than a blur in the villagers' eyes.
Vio appeared in front of a group just as the massive fireball reached them.
Without hesitation, he punched it with gauntlets, which were also crackling with electricity.
"Boom!"
The fireball shattered and disappeared as if it were a mirage.
He landed, his foot slamming into the ground, and launched toward another fireball headed for a different group.
"Boom,"
followed by.
"Boom,"
and the one after that.
"Boom,"
And what comes after that?
"Boom."
Vio was like an arrow, using his energy so efficiently that he wasted none.
As soon as he began moving, the skill activated:
Running – Level 1
Increases the hero's running speed by 10%.
The moment his foot lifted, another skill triggered:
Jumping – Level 1
Increases the hero's jumping effectiveness by 10%.
He kept his jumps low to the ground, maximizing the push each jump gave him rather than aiming for height.
With his sharp eyes, he identified the spot where each fireball would fall. As he dashed toward those locations, the skill activated:
Dash – Level 1
Increases the hero's speed during a dash by 10%.
Simultaneously, electricity surged to his knees and fists, enabling him to punch each fireball out of existence.
"Boom!"
He moved from one point to the next with the same methodical precision.
For the villagers, Vio was just a series of images:
A purple fireball is approaching, followed by an image of Vio punching it. Then, there was nothing as they fell to the ground from the impact of Vio's punch, followed by the next step of his destructive move.
Vio continued moving along the barrier, determined to save as many as possible.
Of course, not everyone was lucky. Smaller fireballs often fell alongside the larger ones, and it wasn't wise for Vio to waste energy on them, which meant some villagers were reduced to burning comets.
Amid the chaos, Vio noticed Zaves pause for a moment. However, he knew this wasn't the time to hesitate, so he kept up his relentless movements.
Then, instead of focusing on the villagers, Vio's attention shifted to Zaves, who was forming a much larger fireball.
Vio's eyes quickly scanned the direction Zaves was aiming to throw it, and they lit up at the sight of the same girl for the third time.
'Am I imagining it, or is he targeting her specifically?'
While his mind worked, Vio's body moved instinctively toward Shama, who was holding her sister's hand.
As he ran, Vio summoned something to his mind, and a mission screen appeared before him:
[Mission: 'Protect Zeer Village']
Type: Protection
Requirements: Threat to the village.
Restrictions: None.
Description:
A hero is called a hero because they do heroic deeds. When the opportunity arises, be a hero.
Objective:
Protect the villagers of Zeer Village.
Rewards for every 100 souls alive:
10 XP
2 Plastic
4 Metal
1 Steel
1 point
Special Bonus:
Every soul is precious, but some souls are more valuable than others.
If the hero can save the most valuable soul, he will be blessed.
Penalty for Failure: Minor Punishment: A hero's shame.