Ethan guided the hikers with steady determination, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead and his thoughts firmly on the task at hand. The path was narrow and winding, lined with gnarled trees that seed to lean in as though listening to their every step.
He moved quickly but not so fast that the hikers couldn't keep up, casting the occasional glance over his shoulder to ensure none of them strayed too far behind.
"Stick to the trail you ca from," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argunt. "And don't even think about heading toward the mountain or anywhere. Those are not safe."
The hikers, still pale and shaken from their ordeal, murmured their agreent, their voices too soft to form words. Ethan could feel their eyes on him, the unspoken questions hanging in the air like heavy mist.
Who was he? What had just happened?
But before anyone could muster the courage to ask, he cut them off.
"I'm not answering anything," he said sharply, though not unkindly. "The only thing I'm here to do is get you to safety. That's all."
The finality in his voice left no room for debate. He wasn't trying to be harsh, but he knew that explanations—no matter how true or comforting they might seem—would only lead to more questions, and questions would slow them down. For now, silence was their best ally.
As they pressed on, Ethan's ears caught a distant rumble—low and nacing, like thunder rolling through the mountains. Then ca the explosion, sharp and violent, echoing across the forest.
The ground beneath them trembled slightly, and the hikers froze, their fear palpable. One of them gasped audibly, clutching at a nearby tree for support. In contrast, others huddled closer together, their eyes darting toward Ethan in panic.
"Keep moving!" Ethan shouted, his voice cutting through their hesitation like a whip. "Don't stop! You're not safe here!"
The hikers stumbled forward reluctantly, their steps uneven and shaky. Still, Ethan stayed behind them, urging them on with a fierce determination.
He could feel it now—sothing more. His heightened senses tingled with an unmistakable dread. There were more demons coming, their dark energy crawling along the edges of his awareness like spiders spinning an ominous web.
His mind raced. 'Wait… Marie said there were ten Lower Soldier Demons. Just ten.' The thought clawed at him, his grip on the situation slipping. 'How can there be more? Unless… sothing's changed.'
The possibility unsettled him. Had they miscounted? Or had sothing worse crossed through the gate? The answers wouldn't wait, and neither could they. Ethan pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the hikers ahead, his hand tightening around the gun Celia had given him.
"Move faster!" he barked, his voice steadier than he felt. "We don't have ti!"
Before Ethan could say another word, shadows blurred at the edge of his vision, and in an instant, a few demons lunged at the hikers. Their grotesque forms moved with terrifying speed, claws outstretched and glowing eyes locked onto their prey.
Ethan cursed inwardly, his stomach twisting. This wasn't just a mission anymore.
Even without the system's prompt, there was no way he would stand by and let these people die. He wasn't wired that way.
'Demons,' he thought bitterly, firing off a shot as one leaped toward the hikers. 'If I had all my mories, I doubt I'd know much more than I do now.'
What he did rember—dim fragnts of pop culture and old urban legends—felt laughably inadequate. Demons were supposed to be the stuff of films, dramas, or maybe cult stories involving dark rituals and summoning circles. A crazy family secret, perhaps, but certainly not real, living creatures tearing through the woods.
The first demon crumpled to the ground as Ethan's shot landed squarely in its head, dark ichor splattering across the forest floor.
Without pausing, he aid again, the barrel of his gun steady despite the pounding in his chest. Another shot. Another hit. The second demon dropped before it could even snarl.
He scanned the area, his senses on high alert. The forest around them felt alive with nace, as though the trees themselves were watching, waiting.
Ethan could feel it—more were coming. The heavy, crawling presence of demonic energy pressed on him from every direction, growing stronger with each passing second.
Ethan made his decision swiftly, pulling up the glowing interface of the system as he kept his eyes on the forest's shadowy edges. With a sharp ntal command, he allocated fifteen of his Ascension Points to push his Tactical Firearms skill to the Master tier.
The system acknowledged the upgrade with a faint chi, and then the wave of change hit him.
A sudden, sharp pain throbbed in his head as an overwhelming flood of mories and knowledge surged into his mind. Techniques, reflexes, strategies—it was as if soone had poured years of training directly into him.
His hands tingled, adjusting instinctively to the weight of the gun. At the sa ti, his mind raced ahead, calculating angles, positions, and vulnerabilities with precision.
The pain ebbed quickly, leaving behind a focused clarity. Ethan rolled his shoulders and raised the gun, his movents fluid, natural, and utterly confident now. 'This is better. Much better,' he thought, his lips pressing into a grim line.
He glanced at the ammunition. A single box held fifty bullets. He'd already used twelve. That left him thirty-eight—thirty-eight chances, no more, no less. Missing wasn't an option, not now, not ever.
Every shot had to count, especially when facing demons of higher rank. The only reason he could take them down at all was because of the bullets infused with Elias's Ascendant Energy.
Ethan's thoughts flickered to Elias for a mont. The energy imbued in these rounds was incredible, potent enough to compensate for Ethan's current limits.
But it raised questions—uncomfortable ones. 'What rank is Elias, exactly?' Ethan wondered. 'If his energy can do this to a bullet, how powerful is he in a fight?'
There wasn't ti to dwell on it. Ethan snapped his focus back to the present, scanning the treeline for movent. He could feel them—more demons were closing in, their malice tangible, like a storm rolling in.
His grip tightened on the gun.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "Let's see what Master tier can do."
Much to Ethan's anticipation—and dread—five more demons erged from the forest shadows, blocking the hikers' path. Their grotesque forms seed even more nacing in the filtered sunlight, their glowing eyes fixed hungrily on the trembling humans.
Ethan didn't waste a second. He sprinted forward, reloading his gun as he moved, the smooth click of the chamber snapping shut like a final warning.
The gun, sleek and heavy in his grip, resembled a Walch Navy revolver, its polished tal glinting faintly. Ethan's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
"Everyone, huddle together behind ! Nobody stands up—stay low and don't move!"
The hikers scrambled to obey, their fear evident but their trust in Ethan unspoken. They clung to each other in a tight cluster, their breaths ragged as they crouched down. Ethan leaped past them, landing with a roll, and raised his gun in one fluid motion.
The first shot rang out, precise and deliberate—but the demon was faster than expected, twisting its body at the last mont. The bullet grazed its shoulder, drawing a spurt of black ichor but doing little to slow it down.
Ethan cursed under his breath and fired again, this ti hitting another demon square in the chest. It crumpled instantly, and the light in its eerie green eyes extinguished.
Two more shots followed, and two more demons fell, their bodies hitting the forest floor with sickening thuds. But the fifth demon—a hulking creature with scales like molten lava—dodged Ethan's shot with an unsettling grace, leaving the bullet to embed itself harmlessly in a tree behind it.
Ethan's eyes narrowed as he activated his Divine Eyes, a faint golden glow flickering in his irises. The world around him shifted slightly, the demons now outlined with faint energy signatures.
He locked onto the remaining two, his heart sinking as their ranks appeared in his vision: Middle Soldier Demons.
'Middle Soldiers,' he thought, his grip tightening on the revolver. 'This is bad.'
Ethan knew enough about the hierarchy to understand one thing—he couldn't win against them with his current power. His enhanced skills and speed were no match for their brute strength and agility.
If he wanted to survive, every shot had to hit sowhere vital; no room for error.
Steadying his breath, Ethan focused on their movents, watching for any opening. His mind raced, calculating angles and trajectories.
'I don't have unlimited ammo,' he reminded himself. 'I can't afford another miss.'
The demons snarled, their eyes burning with fury as they began to advance. Ethan adjusted his stance, the gun feeling heavier now—not with its weight, but with the stakes of the mont.
"Alright," he murmured, leveling the gun. "Let's see if I can make this count."
Ethan tightened his grip on the gun, his fingers slick with sweat as he advanced toward the two Middle Soldier Demons. Their grotesque forms lood, exuding raw malice with every step.
They moved with unsettling grace, their glowing eyes fixed on him like hunters closing in on wounded prey. Ethan's breath ca in sharp bursts as he pushed himself forward. 'Stay sharp. Keep moving.'
The first demon struck with lightning speed, its claws slashing through the air. Ethan barely managed to twist his body, dodging by a hair's breadth. The attack ripped through his jacket and left a burning gash on his shoulder.
He staggered but recovered quickly, raising his gun and firing. The demon darted aside, the shot missing its target and embedding itself into a tree.
The second demon took advantage of his distraction, its massive tail whipping toward his legs. Ethan jumped back, but the tail caught his shin, sweeping his feet out from under him.
He crashed to the ground with a grunt, dirt and leaves scattering around him. He rolled instinctively as a clawed hand slamd into the earth where he'd just been, sending splinters of wood and debris flying.
Scrambling to his feet, Ethan fired off two quick shots. The first missed entirely, ricocheting harmlessly into the trees, but the second struck the first demon squarely in the thigh.
It roared in pain, ichor pouring from the wound, but it didn't slow. Instead, it charged forward, claws raised in a vicious arc.
Ethan ducked low, twisting away, but the edge of the attack still caught him, raking a deep gash across his side.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Ethan aid at the second demon. It lunged toward him, jaws wide and razor-sharp teeth glinting. With no room to retreat, he dropped to the ground, sliding beneath the creature's hulking body and firing upward as he passed.
The shot struck its neck, and the demon crumpled mid-leap, collapsing into a lifeless heap.
Ethan barely had ti to exhale before the first demon was on him again, its snarls echoing through the clearing. He raised his gun, his movents automatic—only to hear the hollow click of an empty chamber, out of ammo.
Cold panic flared, but he shoved it aside, fumbling for fresh bullets.
Before he could reload, the demon struck, its massive tail slamming into his back with bone-crushing force. The world blurred as Ethan was hurled through the air, crashing into a tree. Pain exploded through his body as he crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.
The demon didn't wait. It pounced, pinning him beneath its imnse weight. Its grotesque face lood above him, its claws raised high for the killing blow. Ethan's mind raced, desperation clawing at him. 'This is it. I can't—'
A sudden, deafening crack shattered the tension. The demon's head snapped violently to the side, and its massive body crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
Ethan blinked, stunned, as the figure of Marie erged from the shadows, her sledgehamr glinting faintly in the dim light.
She stood tall, her stance steady, the hamr resting casually on her shoulder. Her face was calm, though her narrowed eyes burned with a fierce determination.
"You looked like you could use a hand," she said dryly, extending her other hand to pull Ethan up. Experience more content on empire
Ethan coughed, wincing as he staggered to his feet. "Perfect timing, Marie," he muttered, his tone a mix of gratitude and exhaustion. "But couldn't you have shown up a little sooner?"
Marie smirked faintly, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "You seed like you had it under control," she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm. Then, glancing at the fallen demon, she added, "Barely."
Ethan shook his head, reloading his gun with trembling fingers. The fight wasn't over yet, and they both knew it. "Let's finish this," he said, his voice steadier now.
Marie nodded, gripping her sledgehamr tightly as her eyes scanned the forest for the next threat. "Right behind you."
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