Chapter 40: There Was No Time To Lose

The horse galloped down the ash-covered road.

Adam didn’t need to spur it on; the beast could sense the tension in the air. The smell of blood and burning wood hung over the land like a warning that no one could ignore.

In the distance, columns of smoke marked the spots where the Rank I and II monsters had attacked when a gap opened in the wall.

There was no time to lose.

A pack of wolves emerged from the right hillside, descending in disorderly formation, drawn by the movement. Their silver coats reflected intermittent flashes of lightning.

Adam didn’t slow down.

The mana covered his body like a second skin, and the moment the first wolf leaped, he drew his sword.

Black petals spiraled around his figure, swirling like a dark crown. The blade cut through the air with precision.

The first wolf fell before it hit the ground; the second lost its head in the same movement; the third was split diagonally as the horse continued forward without breaking stride.

[You gained 1 EXP]

[You gained 1 EXP]

[You gained 1 EXP]

However, he couldn’t let his guard down. If Rank V was watching, every movement was information.

Turning east, he spotted the next disaster zone: a partially evacuated street. Several houses were burning. A group of civilians was running toward the main road, pursued by Rank I and II monsters moving through the rubble with uncontrolled ferocity.

Adam pulled on the reins and changed direction without hesitation.

The horse descended the slope like an arrow, and he shouted.

“Get down!”

Some obeyed instinctively. Others froze.

Adam threw himself from the saddle before the horse came to a complete stop.

Multiple invisible cuts pierced the monsters that were about to reach the civilians; their bodies collapsed into fragments before they could comprehend what had happened.

[You gained 1 EXP]

[You gained 1 EXP]

[You gained 1 EXP]

[You gained…]

A Rank II monster, larger than the others, emerged from a collapsed house. Its jaws crackled with blue lightning.

Adam advanced toward it with steady steps.

The impact of the collision kicked up dust and debris. The monster tried to bite, but the sword was already inside its throat. Adam twisted the weapon with brutal efficiency and withdrew the blade in a clean arc that separated the head from the body.

[You gained 1 EXP]

Only the crackling of the fire.

One of the civilians, a man covered in soot, fell to his knees.

“My daughter… she’s still inside…”

Adam looked at the half-collapsed house. The roof was about to cave in. Muffled screams could be heard from inside.

He didn’t hesitate.

The heat hit his face like a wall. The beams creaked above his head. He moved forward, covering himself with mana, pushing aside the rubble until he found the girl trapped under an overturned table.

He lifted her just as part of the roof collapsed.

He emerged through a cloud of sparks and smoke seconds before the structure collapsed completely.

He handed the girl to her father without saying a word.

Adam mounted his horse again as the survivors were escorted to safety.

Rank V remained motionless.

And that was what disturbed him most.

Adam tightened the reins.

He couldn’t stay. His presence was a moving wall; if he lingered too long in one spot, another flank would give way.

The horse galloped off again as new shadows emerged between the houses.

And while the rank V lightning wolf waited for its moment, Adam couldn’t afford to rest.

Not even for a second.

…

As time passed, the situation was quickly brought under control. Even so, during this first attack, the rank IV and V monsters did not make a move, as if they were watching from the shadows, waiting for something.

Not long after, the first golden rays of the sun began to illuminate the city of Arkham, bringing an end to a seemingly endless night—a night in which too many families had been wiped out without even understanding why.

However, dawn brought no real relief. Heart-wrenching cries still echoed from the northern and southern ends of the city, mixed with the thick stench of blood.

The corpses were piled up in no particular order: monsters and people alike: children, pregnant women, commoners.

They all ended up the same way, with empty stares and torn flesh, their stories cut short before their time, reduced to silence.

Adam watched the scene from atop a partially destroyed tower. His expression was complicated, but there was no surprise in his gaze.

Death did not repel or move him; it only confirmed something he had always known. The world was neither fair nor unfair. It was simply indifferent.

Adam shook his head with a sigh. The weight on his chest did not come from fatigue, but from the deaths he had witnessed.

From the watchtower—now partially destroyed—the destruction spread out before him like an open wound.

With a calm movement, he descended the damaged structure, but before touching the ground, his gaze shifted toward the forest. There, in the dark thicket, danger continued to lurk.

He narrowed his eyes for a brief moment. So far, events were unfolding much as he had anticipated. Not exactly as he had planned—that never happened—but within an acceptable margin.

He waited for certain variables to manifest themselves so he could adapt quickly when they did, because he knew better than anyone that no plan survives chaos intact.

Over the years, he had learned to think first about the worst possible outcome; if he could withstand that scenario in his mind, he could endure almost any deviation from reality.

One of the soldiers hurried over and stopped in front of him to report.

“The situation has stabilized for now. There are lightning wolves and silver trolls, but they are no longer abundant.”

Adam nodded calmly.

“Organize several groups to eliminate the remaining monsters. Also, form an exploration team to monitor their movements.”

“Yes, young master!” replied the soldier before quickly retreating.

The sudden attack by the monsters had upset the region’s balance, but amid the crisis, opportunities for maneuver were beginning to emerge.

And Adam was ready to take advantage of them.

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