Chapter 57: The Level Zero [Hero] Chapter 55

Noele the Noble Spellsword drew back, raising her bloodstained blade. Ruven lay unmoving at her feet as blood pooled beneath him. He was dead.

He had begged for his life in the moments before his death. Even after all the atrocities he had committed, he dared to ask Noele to spare him. He was one of the Graceful Twins. He and his sister were notorious for their callousness, burning hundreds of innocent lives at a time without batting an eye.

It was almost ridiculous. The blonde girl wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Had Ruven ever spared the life of someone who was begging for their life?

The answer was clearly a no.

Shaking her head, Noele turned away from the crater and strode down the cracked street. Her battle with the four Miststorm Riders had wrecked the entire city block. But the destruction spread much further because she had arrived here late.

The Noble Spellsword had wanted to get here sooner. But unfortunately, she had been busy trying to get her mother to safety. Garron the Steel Tank promised he would look after Nicole, which gave Noele the confidence to finally head on out and face the attacking [Bandits].

And when she arrived, what she found were three familiar A-rank adventurers fighting a losing battle against the elites of the Miststorm Riders. The Noble Spellsword arrived just in time to save them from their deaths, but she wasn’t sure how they were faring. So she checked on them now, hoping they would survive their injuries.

“Deon, Skye, Saros!” Noele called out, running up to the other three A-ranked adventurers. “Are you guys alright?”

Fortunately, they seemed to have survived, recovering from their most grievous wounds thanks to healing potions and elixirs. The Silver Shade was in the worst condition, having been toyed with by Lionell throughout their battle. She was covered in scars, cut all across her body, but she was still alive. Deon helped his partner out of a small crater, proffering her a shoulder to lean on, and helping her sip from a red vial.

“We’re alive,” he said, nodding at Noele. “Although I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to help from here on out.”

The blonde girl sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest. “I’m glad to hear that.”

They were still probably out of commission due to their injuries. A healing potion wasn’t a cure-all, especially when it came to deep wounds and gashes. Perhaps if they had an Elixir of Full Recovery, they’d already be fully healed up. But that was an S-rank artifact.

Nevertheless, they were alive, and Noele was relieved because of it. She turned to Saros— the Gnome Inventor was sitting on a large rock, looking down at himself with wide eyes. She peered at him with a raised brow.

“What about you, Saros? Everything ok?”

He didn’t give an immediate reply. That made Noele nervous, especially with his aloof demeanor. Did something happen to him? Was he struck by poison? Why wasn’t he saying anything?

Slowly, Saros let out a heavy sigh.

“I am… not alright.” he said softly.

And Noele blinked. She gave him a worried look. “Saros, what’s going—”

But the gnome suddenly leapt to his feet and shouted over her. “How am I supposed to be alright after witnessing that!”

He gestured vaguely towards the bodies of the four dead Miststorm Riders. Saros paced back and forth as Noele just stared.

“You’re literally a brand new A-rank adventurer!” Saros said, shaking his head. “You were hardly even Level 50 when we met, and now, you’re suddenly killing other A-ranks with a single swing of your sword? That is… that is…”

The gnome’s entire body trembled as he exclaimed.

“That is almost as insane as your damn master!”

The Noble Spellsword paused. She looked at Saros as he pointed accusingly at her. For a second, she wasn’t sure how to respond. Until, finally, she lowered her head.

“That’s… flattering,” she said. “Thank you.”

The Gnome Inventor waved his arms exasperatedly in the air. “It’s not meant to be a compliment! It doesn’t make any sense!”

Noele just chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “I think it’s a compliment. Now come on, I need your help putting out these fires. Do you have any kind of magitech tool that does that?”

She gestured towards the burning buildings, and he sighed. Saros rummaged through his Bag of Holding as he nodded.

“Yes, I have something that can help…”

 

—--

 

Ruven, Ava, Lionell, and Derell were dead.

Odell couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t believed it. He had watched the battle unfold through his magic— he could partially perceive everything that happened within his white mist. But there was a brief moment where a powerful blast had sheared through the white blanket, briefly dispersing it so he couldn’t tell what was going on.

And by the time the mist had poured back into the city block, his four best men had already fallen in battle.

The Monster of the Mist ground his teeth together as the realization slowly settled in. Lionell was dead. Derell, Ruven, and Ava’s deaths didn’t bother Odell so much as annoyed him. But Lionell was the Crimson Claw.

Lionell had been with the Miststorm Riders since the very beginning. And unlike Emory who was a loose cannon, Lionell had truly been loyal to Odell. The two had been like brothers.

And now, Lionell was dead.

Odell’s gaze focused on the one responsible for this— the blonde girl running through the streets of Whiteridge, putting out the burning houses in a hurry. He took in a deep breath and spun around.

He marched up to his horse as the rest of his men waited uncertainly behind him. He glanced back at them— there were still over two thousand members of the Miststorm Riders left. Only a few hundred of them had perished in the initial charge.

Odell spoke softly, addressing them with an eerily calm voice.

“No more games. Burn down the city. I want all of Whiteridge dead at my feet by the end of the hour.”

“Yes, boss!” the Miststorm Riders exclaimed and rode down the hill.

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Odell watched them charge straight for the city, hurling spells from afar and blowing apart various sections of the walls. Adventurers and guards rushed to intercept the attacking [Bandits]. But without the support of the A-ranks, Whiteridge was going to be easily overwhelmed.

From a distance, the Monster of the Mist watched as the four A-ranked adventurers rushed towards the walls of the city. And he moved to intercept them. Because he was going to personally show that blonde girl exactly why he went by his Title.

 

—--

 

“Come on! We need to help them!” Noele called out, rushing ahead towards the fighting.

She had heard the blasts and explosions in the distance. She heard the war cry of the charging [Bandits]. It seemed like the Miststorm Riders were finally attacking Whiteridge in full force, and she knew her help was needed.

But the blonde girl glanced back, watching as Deon and Skye struggled to keep up, mostly bogged down by the latter’s injuries. While the Deon could probably partake in battle again judging by his state, the same couldn’t be said for his partner.

And Saros was also moving slowly. But that was because he was busy tinkering with his tools, and rummaging through his Bag of Holding.

“Just go! We’ll catch up!” the gnome called out.

Noele bit her lower lip before nodding. “Alright— but you better not sit this one out!”

Truth be told, the Noble Spellsword was getting tired. Her [Greater Mana Core] was drained, and she wasn’t sure how much fight she had left in her. Certainly, killing Ava, Ruven, Lionell, and Derell didn’t seem like a tough task, but it was incredibly exhausting.

Elegant Noble Slash and Glorious Noble Slash weren’t Skills. They were a result of her very own skills. That was a distinction that was hard for her to parse at first. But thanks to Amelia’s teachings, Noele finally understood it, and could surpass her limits ever so briefly in battle.

And that was why it was so tiring.

But if it was just exhaustion, Noele would fight through it. She needed to protect Whiteridge. She needed to fend off the Miststorm Riders. So she pressed on.

The Noble Spellsword turned a street corner— and paused.

Her eyes narrowed as the road ahead was covered by an incredibly thick layer of mist. It was practically a white wall waiting ahead of her. And while there had already been a blanket of mist proliferating throughout Whiteridge all this time, this was different.

It was almost familiar to the blonde girl. It brought back memories she didn’t want to remember. She recalled the suffocating scent of ash that choked her lungs, and an old fear crept up her tingling spine.

The blonde girl dismissed that feeling and stepped forward. She raised her blade warily, eyeing the blank canvas ahead of her.

“Who goes there?” she called out, and her voice echoed all around her.

That was unnerving. She spun around, searching for Saros, Deon, and Skye, only to blink. The other A-ranks were gone. No— they weren’t even there.

Wherever she looked, Noele found herself surrounded by the same impenetrable white wall. It encroached on her. It girdled around her from every direction. And it closed in on her.

She clutched her sword tightly as her eyes darted around in alarm. Panic settled in. The realization that she was alone and lost began to overcome her feelings. What did she do? What was going on?

Noele needed to find a way out. But how?

These thoughts clouded her mind like the crowding mist. The blonde girl felt her heart hammering in her chest as it drew closer. But right as the white wall stopped just a dozen feet from her, a shadowed figure appeared, and a voice spoke out.

“Greetings, girl.”

And Noele froze. Her eyes grew wide as she caught sight of the man standing in the mist. Her whirling thoughts came to a halt, and it was like the world around her stopped moving. She recognized him. Even though she could barely see the vague outline of his face as he strode forward. She knew him.

She would know him anywhere. How could she ever forget the face of the man who killed her sister?

“I am Odell the Monster of the Mist,” he said in a loud but hushed voice.

He had long white hair that fell down to his lower back, and a pair of crimson eyes that shone with a glint that pierced through the white veil. He wore a vest without sleeves, revealing a long scar running down his right arm. He hefted a large broadsword over his shoulder as he eyed the Noble Spellsword dangerously.

“You know,” he continued, “I never understood what it is with you adventurers and your heroics. I always found it fascinating how you lot were always so brave yet so foolish at the same time.”

Odell closed his eyes and emerged from the mist as he sighed.

“But today? Today I don’t care about any of that. Today, I shall just enjoy k—” he started.

And Noele cut him off. “[Dance with Death]!”

The Monster of the Mist blinked. She was already moving. He watched as she rushed him, raising her blade. He scoffed and swung up with his own broadsword.

“Did you seriously think that would work?” His blade shone as he aimed for the Noble Spellsword’s head. “Nice try— [Comet Strike]!”

She charged straight into his falling blade, only to raise her own sword. A golden aura wisped off her blade as she thrust forward with a stabbing motion. Odell smirked… then blinked as his broadsword shattered into pieces.

“W-what…?” he gasped out, looking down at a golden glow.

Noele stood just before him, her sword plunged deep into his chest. He tried to work his jaw, but the glow slowly faded as she whispered the name of the attack that defeated him in a single blow.

“Elegant Noble Slash.”

And she drew back from the Monster of the Mist as he collapsed.