<div> Chapter 194: What was that?
 He burst through the last line of twisted trunks, stumbling out of the forest’s grip.
 The ruined structures came into view. The same old buildings.
 The broken buildings.
 The tallest structure stood silently ahead. The place where he was supposed to sleep.
 Amon didn’t slow down.
 Stomp!
 He sprinted across the open ground, not daring to look back until his foot hit the first step of the building. He was running for his life. But from whom? He didn’t know.
 Only then did he glance over his shoulder.
 The forest stood still.
 Black trees swayed gently.
 No movement.
 No shape. No sound. But the pressure remained. Someone’s presence.
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 </div> Amon clenched his jaw and ran inside, shadows snapping shut behind him as he crossed the entrance.
 The moment he entered,
 he closed the barely standing metal door shut.
 Thud!
 The presence vanished.
 Like it had never been there at all.
 He leaned against the cold stone wall, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his chin.
 "The fuck!... hah-hah," Amon breathed heavily, gasping, tired.
 "What the fuck was that?" He couldn’t believe he had been running away from something he couldn’t even see.
 Amon sat on the floor, leaning his back against the stone wall. Blood was still dripping from the wound on his shoulder.
 "Aarrgh! I nearly forgot about the pain because of fear."
 Amon pulled out a healing potion and drank it. A warm feeling spread through his whole body. The wound slowly started to heal. The pain running through his body slowly subsided.
 Was it his imagination? Or was there really something?
 It was already dark outside.
 ’Anyways, I should go up.’
 He sighed. Calming himself, Amon moved toward his new bedroom.
 His steps were slow.
 ’Though I came back safely... how am I going to roast it? I don’t have anything to make fire... shit, if not for that unknown thing following me, I would’ve taken some dry branches to make fire.’
 The first thing he did after entering his old-ass room was throw his body onto the soft old bed.
 His clothes were covered in blood, yet he didn’t care. His body was too tired. He really wanted to sleep now.
 Growl~
 But again, his empty stomach screamed for food.
 The question was how he could get something to burn. Something that could help him roast the meat.
 Amon slowly pushed himself up from the bed, muscles protesting with every movement. He sat down on the cold stone floor, his back resting against the wall. For a moment, he just stared at nothing, letting his breathing settle.
 Then his gaze shifted to his ring.
 "...I can’t avoid it."
 With a reluctant thought, he activated the storage ring.
 A dull thud echoed softly as the long, elongated dark arm of the monster appeared on the floor.
 It was ugly.
 Amon really had to eat this thing.
 Black skin stretched tight over twisted muscle. Veins bulged unnaturally along its surface, and the severed end was still rough, dried blood clinging to it in clots. A faint metallic smell filled the room. It was disgusting.
 Amon grimaced.
 "Disgusting..." The word left his mouth naturally.
 His stomach churned, but it growled again, louder this time.
 Growl~
 He clicked his tongue and pulled out his dagger.
 "Just... get it done," he muttered to himself.
 He grabbed the arm with one hand, forcing himself not to think too much about what it once belonged to. The skin was tough. Far tougher than normal flesh. When he pressed the dagger against it, it barely pierced.
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 "Tch."
 He poured a bit of mana into his grip and pushed harder.
 Scrrrk.
 The blade finally cut through.
 Amon clenched his teeth and began working carefully, slicing along the length of the arm. The skin peeled back slowly, revealing dark red meat beneath. Black blood oozed out, dripping onto the stone floor.
 Drip. Drip.
 He swallowed hard and kept going.
 "This is insane..." His face grimaced.
 "Shit, my room’s floor is getting dirty... dammit, I should’ve done this outside."
 The deed was already done. He had no choice. He decided to clean it later.
 The smell grew worse as he worked, thick and heavy in the air. He cut away the thick skin first, setting it aside, then started removing anything that looked unusable. Dark tendons, strange fatty tissue, hardened veins.
 His hands shook slightly from exhaustion.
 Still, he didn’t stop.
 After a long while, the arm looked... less monstrous. Strips of dark meat lay on the floor, crude but clean enough. He wiped the dagger on a piece of cloth, breathing heavily.
 "...I did it."
 But then reality hit him again.
 No fire. No way to cook it. He needed to arrange fire.
 Amon stared at the meat, then toward the doorway.
 Silence.
 The building was quiet. Too quiet.
 He remembered the presence in the forest.
 The way the monster had fled.
 His fingers curled slowly.
 "...Damn it."
 He stood up, retrieved his sword, and approached the door. His movements were cautious, every sound tightening his nerves.
 He walked out of his room and through the empty corridor. At the end was a balcony leading outside.
 He stood on the balcony, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword.
 His hands trembled. Not just from exhaustion, but also from fear of the unknown.
 The night greeted him.
 The forest loomed at the edge of the clearing, black trees standing like silent watchers. No movement. No sound.
 But the darkness felt deeper than before.
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 </div> Amon wrapped his shadow around his feet and jumped down.
 As he landed on the ground, it didn’t make any sound at all.
 Amon was once again outside.
 Cold air brushed against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. He stayed close to the building, eyes scanning every shadow, every gap between the trees.
 What was most terrifying was the darkness. The sky was covered with dense clouds. No stars, no moon. No light.
 Amon used his lighter to make light.
 "I’ll be quick..."
 He looked around for a while. Then, at one corner, he saw them. Some dry branches and leaves.
 He moved toward a pile of fallen branches near the edge of the clearing. Dry sticks lay scattered on the ground, snapped and brittle.
 Perfect.
 As he crouched down to collect them.
 Crack.
 A sound echoed from deeper within the forest.
 Amon froze.
 His heart skipped a beat.
 He slowly turned his head, sword half-raised.
 Nothing.
 Just darkness.
 Just trees.
 "...Get it together, Amon. You are more brave."
 He grabbed as many dry sticks as he could, bundling them under his arm. Every second felt stretched, his senses screaming at him to leave.
 Another rustle.
 This time closer.
 Amon didn’t wait.
 He turned and hurried back toward the building, boots hitting the ground hard. He didn’t look back.
 Then a terrible scream tore through the silent forest.
 "AHHHHHHHHH!"
 It was a shrill scream. Someone’s scream. Not like a monster, but not quite human either.
 He didn’t slow down.
 The moment he crossed the threshold, he slammed the door shut.
 Clang!
 He leaned against it, breathing hard.
 "...Never again."
 With trembling hands, he stacked the sticks in the corner of the ground floor, finally allowing himself to relax just a little.
 Now.
 At least.
 He could make fire.
 He took out the arm and cut it into big pieces. He kept only one outside and stored the others back into the storage ring.
 Amon held it over the warm fire.
 The meat started to roast.
 "Hah... finally peace... even if only for a moment."
 Amon exhaled. He was now relaxed. He had food and water.
 After half an hour, the meat was edible.
 He held the hot piece in both hands.
 "Fuu! Fuuu!" He blew on it to cool it down a little.
 Munch!
 His teeth sank into the hot, hard meat.
 ’Fuck! This is a little hard.’
 Munch! Munch!
 But somehow, Amon ate it.
 Not giving up, he used his teeth to their fullest.
 "Tastes... much like shit."
 For the past few months, all Amon had eaten was high-class food. Different dishes made by amazing chefs.
 Now, suddenly, he had to eat something that belonged to a monster.
 If that wasn’t enough, that monster was still alive out there.
 Something felt really wrong. Killing a monster and eating its dead body didn’t sound weird... but eating the meat of a monster that was still alive somewhere did.
 "Hah... anyways. This much is enough for tonight."
 Amon brought out his bottle from the ring.
 After a long day, he drank from it.
 Opening the lid, Amon started drinking the cold water.
 The cold liquid flowed into his throat like divine nectar.
 Gulp~ Gulp~
 "Hah... this was just the first day... not even a full one... yet I already want to go back home."
 Amon muttered dejectedly.
 His eyes felt heavy.
 But another thought came.
 "Wait? But I don’t have a home... damn, that hurts. Hehehe."
 It was true. He didn’t have a home.
 So maybe he should say he wanted to go back to the academy.
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 </div> "I really need to buy a house... something I can at least call home, even if I’m alone."
 He blinked a few times, extinguished the fire, and walked toward the upper floor to his bed.
 For the first time in many years, he felt... alone. Or rather, lonely.
 "It’s a really bad feeling, hehe~" Amon chuckled.
 He lay down on the smelly bed. The room also smelled because of the monster’s blood, but he was too tired to complain or even care.
 ’...Since I am missing... is there anyone who might be worried about me? Seraphina, Eliana, Professor Adelia, Marcus, or Aisha...’
 Among everyone he knew, Adelia and Seraphina might be the most worried.
 Marcus, that tsundere guy... he might be as well.
 Eliana... she was always cheerful, but not a bad person. She must be worried too.
 As for Aisha, he still didn’t understand her well.
 ’Oh, how could I forget my princess? Senior must be worried about me. Once she gets to know... hehe~ With her position, they might try to search for me earlier.’
 Amon continued to think useless thoughts as sleep slowly claimed him.</div>
 

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Chapter 194: What was that?

Chapter 194: What was that? He burst through the last line of twisted trunks, stumbling out of the forest’s grip. The ruined structures came into view. The same old buildings. The broken buildings. The tallest structure stood silently ahead. The place where he was supposed to sleep. Amon didn’t slow down. Stomp! He sprinted across the open ground, not daring to look back until his foot hit the first step of the building. He was running for his life. But from whom? He didn’t know. Only then did...

The Smiling Death

Chapter 194: What was that?

The Smiling Death - Chapter 194: What was that?