Kael's steps felt light as he walked toward the river. Despite his body being exhausted from repeatedly battling monsters from the second and third gates, his mind was filled with excitement.
Titan Slayer, the massive sword strapped to his back, carried a new sense of power. Every time he felt its weight, he knew that with this weapon, he had taken another step forward from where he was when he first experienced this apocalypse in his past life.
As he reached the riverbank, the stench immediately assaulted his senses. The water, once clear, had turned into a murky pool reflecting the overcast sky.
Human and monster corpses floated lifelessly on the surface, some bloated from being submerged for too long.
Suddenly, a commotion and frantic screams echoed from the distance. Kael quickly spotted a group of people trapped in a brutal fight against a horde of giant rats.
The rats were larger than wild dogs, their bodies covered in filthy, patchy fur. Their teeth were like small daggers, and some even had spikes protruding from their backs.
The group of humans, seemingly Awakened warriors, numbered five in total. Each wielded different weapons, a short sword, daggers, a bow, and one with a spear tipped with razor-sharp metal.
Despite their efforts, they were vastly outnumbered by the attacking monsters. Kael watched as one of them fell, his body torn apart by dozens of biting rats swarming over him.
Kael didn't care about them. If they died, then this world would simply lose a few warriors who weren't strong enough.
However, he also knew this was an opportunity to test the power of Titan Slayer. Then without hesitation, he stepped forward into the battle.
With a swift motion, he raised his sword high and smashed it down onto the ground, sending a wave of slashes that instantly tore through several rats in a single swing.
The rats' small bodies split apart, making the blood and flesh mixing into the dirt. The remaining Awakened stared at him in shock.
But Kael didn't stop. Moving effortlessly, he weaved between the rats attempting to lunge at him, dodging their bites with minimal movement, then striking them down as if it was nothing more than a simple exercise.
Every swing of his blade felt perfect. Titan Slayer cut through them without resistance.
Fifteen seconds later, the battlefield that had been filled with desperate cries from those Awakened was now silent. Only the corpses of rats remained.
The surviving Awakened stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe. One of them, a long-haired man with a wound on his arm, stepped forward.
"You saved us... Without your help, we would have died," he said hoarsely while stretching out his one arm.
Kael shook his head slightly. "I didn't do it for you," he replied coldly, ignoring the handshake request from the man.
However, as he started walking away, he saw something in their eyes, not just surprise or gratitude anymore.
Their gaze locked onto Titan Slayer and the red cloak he had recently obtained. Even without words, Kael could already guess their thoughts.
This world was full of betrayers. They understood that power was everything, and if someone had a better item, the fastest way to obtain it was to kill its owner.
Kael halted his steps, scanning and counting their numbers. Five people, all wounded but still strong enough to fight.
One of them, a burly man in a leather jacket, stepped forward. In his hand was a firearm, a semi-automatic pistol glowing faint blue, indicating it had been enhanced with a weapon skill.
"Hand over your sword and gemstone," he said coldly, "or die."
Kael glanced at the pistol with a neutral expression. He knew that this weapon could kill many normal human, or low skilled Awakened, especially if its bullets had been infused with mana.
But he also knew something more important, human speed could never match his thoughts.
After all, if someone wanted the skill inside a gemstone, they had to die first for the gemstone to appear.
So, in the end, they only wanted to kill him. Kael smiled slightly. "Try me," he said.
Without hesitation, the man raised his gun and pulled the trigger. A blue flash shot forward, mana-infused bullets moving faster than ordinary ones.
But Kael had already read his movements. With his trained reflexes and instincts from his past life, he shifted slightly to the right, dodging the bullet's trajectory.
At the same time, his left hand reached out, and in one swift motion, Titan Slayer spun and slashed through the man's wrist.
The pistol that had been aimed at him flew into the air, blood spurting from the severed wrist, and agonized screams filled the riverbank.
Kael caught the falling pistol and, casually, aimed it at the man's head.
"Nice weapon. Too bad its owner isn't fast enough," he remarked with a mocking smirk. The remaining Awakened immediately charged at him all at once.
Effortlessly, he dodged two daggers lunging at him by leaping backward, then swiftly spun around and slashed one of the attackers in half.
An arrow whizzed toward him, but Kael raised his left hand and unleashed a Mana Blast. A small explosion shattered the arrow before it could reach him.
In less than a minute, everyone who had tried to kill him was dead, except for the man in the leather jacket, who was still groaning in pain, clutching his severed wrist.
Kael knelt beside him, gazing at him coldly. "You were far too confident, thinking you could beat me with just a gun and some low-tier skills?" he asked as he tossed the pistol into the river.
The man gasped, sweat drenching his face. "Please... Spare me..." he begged weakly.
Kael sighed and lifted Titan Slayer. "There's no mercy in this world," he declared before swinging his blade down onto the man's neck, ending his life.
Without another word, Kael continued his journey, stepping over the fresh corpses he had just slain.