Chapter 210  Fighting Non-Stop

Matthew came to William’s room to speak with him. When he opened the door, he saw William standing near a small window. “What are you doing?” Matthew asked.

“Just staring through the window, looking down to see what the others are up to,” William replied.

Some of the people living in the fortress were already asleep, while others were walking around and doing chores inside. Matthew walked in, closed the door, and sat on the edge of William’s bed.

“Are you worried they might try something?” he asked.

“There’s always a chance,” William said. “But we’re leaving first thing in the morning, so I don’t think we need to worry too much.”

Their plan was to gain levels inside the dungeon, so they weren’t considering staying in the fortress for long. “This floor is way harder than the last one,” Matthew noted, “but I think it’s getting easier as we progress.”

“We’re leveling up much faster here. I believe it won’t take long for this place to feel easy to us, maybe just a few days or weeks,” William added. That was just a guess, but given the speed of their progress, William believed it wouldn’t take that long. Moreover, his attributes were increasing at a much higher rate with each level due to his status as one of the summoned heroes, making his advancement much faster compared to others.

After their conversation, Matthew returned to his own room, which was right beside William’s, and tried to rest despite a lingering sense of insecurity about staying in the fortress.

Later that night, William woke up to strange noises coming from the hallway. He picked up his sword, Asura, and moved toward his door. The hallway was very dark; the torches that had been lit were no longer burning, but William could see clearly in the dark.

At the end of the hallway, next to the staircase that led to the lower floors of the fortress, he noticed someone. William recognized the face—it belonged to one of the people he had seen in the fortress when he was staring out the window. However, the man had reddish eyes that seemed to change color from amber to red and back again. He was leaning against the wall, hitting his body, clearly in pain as he clenched his hands and grabbed at his hair.

When the man noticed William, he hurried down the staircase and left, leaving William to wonder what had just happened.

Matthew also opened the door to his room, but his vision wasn’t very clear in the darkness. “Did you hear that?” Matthew asked.

William gestured for him to step inside his room. After he entered and closed the door, William explained what he had seen. They were working together, so there was no reason to keep secrets.

“It did seem like he was turning into a creature, at least based on what you described,” Matthew said.

“Yes…”

The strange sounds ceased after the man noticed William. He retreated to his room and attempted to sleep again, but it proved far more difficult after what he had witnessed.

The following morning, William and Matthew departed the fortress at dawn. They were eager to leave.

The man who had granted them entry was present, and he remarked, “Leaving so early? I had anticipated a longer stay. It’s unwise to depart while feeling unwell.”

He was undoubtedly referring to Matthew, whose wounds were still healing. William, however, felt fine.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” William said, bowing to the man. “We may cross paths again in the future.”

William opened the gate and, pulling Matthew along, exited quickly. He feared the man might try to detain them, and thus offered no further words, simply leaving.

The man closed the gate immediately after they left, wary of the beasts outside.

William and Matthew moved away from the fortress, venturing deeper into the forest instead of returning to the city.

It wasn’t long before they were attacked by more beasts: werewolves and werebears.

These creatures didn’t seem to be growing stronger as they advanced; their familiar strength posed no threat.

William began to utilize his magic more extensively.

“Black Fire Ball!” he shouted.

Demonic energy surged in his left hand, amplified by the black runes that hovered above it.

A black flame materialized in his hands, growing larger with each passing second. By the spell’s completion, the fireball was substantial.

He hurled it at a group of approaching werewolves, striking four of them.

The sheer power of the fireball incinerated them, reducing them to charcoal. They were instantly killed.

With a single black fire spell, William eliminated all four, earning a significant amount of EXP.

Matthew, also from the demon kingdom and capable of casting black fire spells, was visibly shocked.

“Your talent for fire magic is remarkable,” he said. “I’ve never seen anyone cast such a potent basic spell. The power behind it was… overwhelming.”

That was one of the key points Jhen emphasized during his training: mastering the basic spells.

They were labeled as “basic” simply because they were easier to learn and were the first spells accessible to anyone.

However, that didn’t imply the spells were weak. With a higher mastery, William understood he could unleash tremendous force, surpassing even some higher-graded spells.

Of course, his royal demonic bloodline played a significant role in his rapid learning and mastery. His affinity for fire had grown immensely over time, and it could now be considered his primary element, alongside his body-enhancing magic.

“I’ll start using more spells now,” he said. “You should do the same. The more we kill, the faster we grow stronger. Also, we need to find shelter for the night. There’s no way I’m returning to that fortress.”

Matthew nodded and followed William’s advice. He began utilizing more of his poison and stealth magic, which significantly increased their efficiency in eliminating the werebeasts that attacked them.

This came at the cost of their mana—and demon essence—but with judicious use, they could manage it.

When they noticed their reserves were running low, they would switch to “normal” combat, abstaining from spells until their mana recovered.

Just like the day, the hours flew by. They were unaware of the advancing evening until they noticed the changing hues around them.

“The sun is setting,” Matthew said. “Let’s focus on finding shelter now.”

The only shelter they found before nightfall was a small cave, barely large enough for them.

They crouched and entered a narrow tunnel leading to a slightly larger, though still cramped, space.

The only way to remain inside was to crouch, and the single entrance made it feel rather vulnerable.

“Are you sure this is a good place?” William asked.

“It’s not like we have a choice, is it?” Matthew replied.

“Wait here.”

William exited the tiny cave. Once outside, he searched for a rock suitable for blocking the entrance.

Fortunately, he quickly found a rock of the right size and, with his strength, easily carried it, sealing the opening.

He returned to Matthew.

“I can’t see a thing in here,” Matthew complained.

William was unperturbed.

“As if there’s anything to see. Let’s endure this until tomorrow…”

Venturing out at night was ill-advised. The number of monsters increased significantly, and the likelihood of encountering stronger creatures was high.

For the moment, William was unwilling to take the risk, and neither was Matthew.

If the previous night had been unpleasant, this one was far worse. The confined space was extremely uncomfortable, and they were forced to sleep on the ground.

And that wasn’t the worst of it. Being in the heart of the forest, the sounds of the beasts outside were deafening.

There was even a moment during the night when William felt the ground tremble, as if a large creature were passing nearby.

The sensation was unnerving, but fortunately, no creature discovered their hiding place.

When they emerged from the hole in the morning, both were aching all over. William knew he would recover quickly, but Matthew was deteriorating. He needed additional time to heal in a more secure location.

William noticed something unusual. Next to the cave where they had slept was a massive footprint. The track clearly belonged to a beast, judging by its shape.

But it was significantly larger than the werewolves and werebears they had encountered.

“This must be from the creature that walked near us and made the ground shake,” William said.

“Indeed.”

Throughout the morning, they faced more beasts, and William observed how exhausted Matthew was. He couldn’t continue.

Fighting monsters nonstop all day was too draining. William knew they had to find a place for Matthew to rest.

So, that became their priority. They left the forest and found a road, which they followed.

After hours of travel, they finally saw a city! It resembled the first one they had seen but was much smaller and located by the ocean.

The guards saw them approaching and were surprised. It was rare to see people walking outside; only the strong could survive the monsters.

“Who are you?” the guard asked.

“Just travelers seeking a place to rest for a few days. May we enter? Please, my friend here is in poor condition.”

The guard glanced to the side, noting Matthew’s weakened state. He couldn’t turn them away.

“Fine, go in. But don’t cause any trouble.”

They opened the gate for them.

The city was much smaller, less than half the size of the previous one! It had a harbor with a few ships and many people fishing.

“Let’s find a place to rest, eat, and recover,” William said. “You look like you’re about to collapse.”

“Finally…” Matthew sighed.

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