A few more questions like that continued to pop up among the crowd of players, slowly growing louder.
"Seriously, why isn’t Terry here?"
"Maybe sothing happened to him?"
"Yeah, maybe he’s just scouting ahead or sothing... You know how he is."
Each one was like a hamr tapping at Yano’s temple.
His smile twitched.
He tried not to show it, refusing to let his expression falter.
The smirk on his face remained smooth and composed, as he tried to hold everything together, like the charismatic leader he was supposed to be.
But inside, he was gnashing his teeth.
Still... he kept the act going.
"Terry..." Yano began, feigning a soft sigh. "Terry ignored my offer to team up today."
He lowered his head slightly, letting the wind catch his coat, casting a shadow over the players below.
"He said we’re all too weak... and that he couldn’t be around dead weight."
Gasps rose from the players, and the crowd shifted uneasily.
"He abandoned all of you, claiming you’re all pathetic. He—"
"Liar!"
A voice cut him off, loud and defiant.
Yano’s eyes narrowed.
The one who shouted was a short, spiky-haired boy wearing a faded brown tunic. He stood out now, trembling slightly, but his voice was firm.
"Terry would never say sothing like that!"
Yano’s smile faltered, and a long, sharp silence followed.
He lowered himself slightly in the air, just enough to scan the player who had dared interrupt him.
His eyes flickered, and his expression turned dark for a brief second—but he masked it again behind another warm grin.
But it didn’t stop there.
"I agree," soone else mumbled in the crowd. "There’s no way he’d say that. Terry’s not that kind of guy."
"I bet he would’ve co if he could. Maybe he’s busy fighting another powerful boss monster or sothing..."
"Exactly. Don’t twist his words."
Each passing sentence stabbed deep into his mind, making him more annoyed with each passing second.
He still maintained his smile, but his jaw clenched so tightly it made the side of his cheeks twitch.
’Why...’ he thought, his fingers curling into fists behind his coat. ’Why do you all hold him in such high value?’
A flicker of red briefly flashed in his pupils.
’He’s just a dumb wannabe hero! A childish fool who just got lucky!’
His nostrils flared for a mont, and his chest rose and fell, as frustration bubbled up within him.
’I am the one you should be listening to! I am the one who’ll be leading you all to glory!’
’You should be listening to instead!’
[Talent Details: Blood Monarch (S)]
[Description: You have awakened dominion over blood—your own and that of others.]
[Effect 1: Blood Control] — You can freely manipulate all free blood within a 10-ter radius from yourself and within yourself, shaping it into anything you desire as long as you have enough mana.
Note: Careless manipulation of blood within your body can cause severe internal damage.
[Effect 2: Haemorrhage Pulse] — Release a powerful pulse that causes heavy internal bleeding to targets.
Note: Range limited to 5 ters, and effect enhanced when targets are already bleeding or injured.
[Effect 3: Enhanced Blood Flow] — Your blood flows thrice faster than normal, and your body’s natural healing is greatly boosted.
[Effect 4: Blood Sense] — You can detect any target with blood within 20 ters, sensing their location, vitality, and health status.
Note: The effect sharpens significantly when a target is actively bleeding.
[Effect 5: Monarch’s Compulsion] —
Your voice carries influence over those with blood in their veins.
Note: Commands or persuasion attempts have a high chance of succeeding, especially on targets weaker than you. Stronger enemies resist this effect more easily. Does not work on bloodless or mindless creatures.
Yano’s gaze lingered on the final effect—Monarch’s Compulsion.
’I don’t understand...’ he thought, his fingers twitching slightly. ’Why doesn’t my compulsion work when it cos to that idiot...?’
He could tell all the players below were weaker than him, but for so reason, the mont Terry’s na was ntioned, they were all able to resist his compulsion, which shouldn’t be possible.
He quickly cleared his mind, bringing his focus back to the matter at hand.
’They’ll listen to ...’ he thought. ’They’ll follow ... no matter what.’
"Enough about Terry," he said, his voice steady but firm. "We’re here for one reason only—to defeat the Crimson Blood Scorpion."
"The major problem we’ve always had when facing this monster... is that."
All heads turned to follow his finger.
The thick, red gas still oozed from the tip of the scorpion’s tail, cloaking the boss area in a thick fog.
At the sight of it, the players recoiled slightly, feeling like they could sll the stench of death from it.
"That poisonous gas," Yano continued. "It’s the reason no one’s been able to land a decent attack on the boss. Just stepping into that zone eats away at your HP every second, like fighting blind while slowly dying."
The murmurs now shifted from Terry to the monster, and so of the players began to frown in concern.
"But now..." Yano said, letting his voice drop slightly as he leaned forward midair, eyes narrowing. "Now, I have a way to take care of that."
The silence that followed was imdiate.
So of the players blinked. Others whispered among themselves again.
"How?"
"What’s he going to do?"
Yano’s smirk returned.
Things were finally going his way again.
He hated to admit it, but all he had to do was stop talking about ’that guy’ and his [Monarch’s Compulsion] would work like it was supposed to.
’That’s right,’ he thought, letting out a soft exhale. ’Focus only on ...’
He gave a sharp nod downward.
One of the guild mbers below took a step forward, nodding back at Yano.
He had striking blue hair, and piercing grey eyes that scanned the players coolly. His expression was calm, but his shoulders were tense.
His na was Viren, and like the other nine beside him, he was one of the top ranking mbers of the Noble Lions Guild.
He was also among the few who had attacked the ’Hungry Demon’ along with Yano, only to be killed in one strike.
Yano’s eyes narrowed, and for a brief mont, an evil glint flashed through them.
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