The leader, their alpha, always took the brunt of the risk, ensuring the pack’s safety while leading their attacks. Their weaknesses were well-known: fire, light magic, loud noises, and of course, stronger opponents.
Ethan took a deep breath, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. A cold snort escaped him.
He wasn’t worried.
With a subtle flick of his wrist, he flared his mana outward. His aura expanded, the very air around him shimring with the pressure of his energy.
He was still a Rank One, yes, but the aura he carried was more than enough to make most creatures think twice. The leader of the pack, if it had any sense, would feel it.
The jackals weren’t dumb — they were pack animals. The instincts of the leader should tell it to retreat to avoid losses. After all, it was the only Rank One in the group — its already small pack would probably get decimated by Ethan even if they attacked jointly...
But instead of hesitating, the jackals grew bolder. They snarled, their eyes narrowing with renewed aggression as they encircled him.
Ethan frowned. ’Strange.’
This wasn’t the expected reaction.
He flared his aura even more, his power surging outward, but still, the pack didn’t retreat. If anything, they beca more daring, more eager to close the distance. The leader, a hulking beast almost like a wolf, with matted fur and bloodshot eyes, growled in the back, rallying the pack to attack.
A flicker of confusion passed through Ethan’s mind. It was as if the beasts were being pushed beyond their natural instincts.
Suddenly, a voice slithered into his mind, breaking his focus.
[Hello, Ethan Cross.]
The voice was low and full of mischief, its tone oily and unsettling. It wasn’t loud, yet it filled his head with an eerie resonance. The words oozed mischief, spoken with a tone that was both mocking and familiar. It was a male voice, sinister yet almost amused, as if the speaker found endless entertainnt in Ethan’s plight.
Ethan froze. ’I haven’t been called that in a long while...’
Even though this was the first ti he was hearing this voice, Ethan recognised it...
It was obviously Loki, the God of Mischief... the cause of his problems in his past life and the one that transmigrated him to this world...
Clenching his hands into fists, ’It’s been a long ti since I’ve heard from him...’
The voice chuckled, the sound like nails on stone. [It has, hasn’t it? Ti has a funny way of slipping through our fingers, doesn’t it?]
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. ’He can read my mind?!’
[Of course... Hehe.]
The voice echoed again, followed by a deep, unsettling laugh that made Ethan’s skin crawl.
It hadn’t even been a full week since he was transmigrated into Nexa, but sohow, it felt like an eternity. So much had happened already, so much had changed. He had dared to hope that Loki would leave him alone — at least until he grew strong enough to face whatever the trickster had planned.
His days inside the Labyrinth had been peaceful. He had always found it strange...
Loki, the God of Mischief, the one who had thrown him into this new life — this world Nexa — it was obviously Loki’s playground, he obviously won’t make things easy for Ethan. That’s why Ethan had always found his peaceful monts in the Labyrinth unsettling.
Ethan gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to acknowledge the fact, but deep down, he feared Loki’s involvent more than anything. The god had a penchant for chaos, and chaos rarely ca without consequences...
Suddenly, Loki’s voice curled back into his mind, low and gleeful: [Did you really think I would leave you alone? Co now, Ethan. I brought you to a new world. It’s only fair I make it... entertaining, no?]
Ethan gritted his teeth at the mocking laughter that followed. His eyes moved to the bunch of jackals on him, despite his efforts to avoid them they kept pestering him...
"This... is your doing, isn’t it?" Ethan muttered, not asking, but stating the fact. He could feel the pull of sothing more, the unnatural drawing of beasts toward him, the way the jackals seed too eager, almost as if they had been guided here.
Loki ignored the question, his tone turning amused: [You see, I didn’t know that the Goddess of Fate had a thing for you to this extent... she actually made sure your soul was transmigrated straight into a Labyrinth — the safest place from my reach.]
[Had you been a good little boy, hiding in that Labyrinth, raising your strength... there might’ve been a chance. But you, Ethan... You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? You ca out so soon... This is going to be so much fun...]
Loki’s voice slid back into his mind, darker now, like a shadow wrapping around his thoughts.
[The thing is, when transmigrating you, I made you a little... special. A magnet. A magnet for chaos. Every beast, every danger... they’ll be drawn to you. Low-ranked, high-ranked — it doesn’t matter. They’ll co. They’ll find you. Isn’t it fun?]
[I want to see your futile struggle against fate... struggle against fate... get it? Fate? Goddess of Fate? Hahaha—]
Loki laughed wildly at his own joke, a cackle that only he found funny.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed as the uncanny laughter echoed in his head. A cold chill ran down his spine. ’This guy’s like the Joker...’
Ignoring Loki, he shifted his gaze back to the jackals. They hadn’t stopped their advance. If anything, they were becoming more reckless now, urged on by sothing beyond instinct.
Loki didn’t seem to mind being ignored.
[As for why I’m telling you all this... doesn’t it make it more fun?! Let’s see how long you last before the real fun begins! Hehe...]
His laugh was shrill and sadistic, but fortunately for Ethan, it began to fade — lower and lower, until it disappeared completely, like the laughter of a crazed villain fading in a horror movie...
The sudden silence felt like a blessing.
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