Chapter 8: Thunder Emperor

The fire wasn’t large enough to engulf the entire village, but it was steadily growing in size.

And the closer I got to the village, the more I felt that familiar magic power.

The distinct magic that always appeared when Claire used her skill kept lingering in the air.

By the time I reached the outskirts of the village, the flames had grown so fierce that the heat pressed directly against my skin.

Walking through that inferno was far from a pleasant experience for Hio.

Kyaaaaah!

“Get down! Hurry, get down!”

“My, my leg, my leg!”

Even though it had been years, that horrific experience still lingered in a corner of his mind, tormenting him.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 801 / 1000)]

Even so, he moved forward.

That was the past; he was living in the present.

There were too many people ahead that he needed to protect.

Someone caught his eye, collapsed and bleeding profusely from a deep wound in her side.

It was Bill the farmer’s wife.

A kind soul who would always hand him a bundle of bread whenever they passed by.

But she had lost far too much blood.

She seemed unconscious, and there was neither a way nor time to save her.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 870 / 1000)]

So, his gaze stayed fixed forward, and he didn’t slow his pace.

The dead could not be saved, but those still alive could yet be kept from dying.

With his eyes locked straight ahead, he kept running forward.

Even so, the collapsed villagers kept coming into his view, one by one.

That woman with a stabbed throat was skilled at weaving cloth and had mended his clothes several times.

That child with a pierced heart was the one who, when the other kids teased him, would fret anxiously behind them, timidly asking them to stop.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 919 / 1000)]

And that girl, lying far ahead on the ground, always called him a coward, but cared for him more than anyone else here.

Claire.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 1000 / 1000)]

His mind felt as if it had turned completely white.

His patience, pushed past its limit, swallowed his reason and began searching for the cause of all this.

It urged him toward violence.

Ding—

[Congratulations! You have achieved the goal of the Hidden Trait ‘Violence is Forbidden!’ A hidden reward will be granted.]

But the long-awaited notification sound and message barely kept him tethered to his senses.

[Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet!: The effect of your skill becomes real, not just an illusion. The skill’s rank will be recalibrated, and its name will be changed accordingly.]

[Evolved Skills Permanency: Skills obtained as evolution rewards will remain permanently and cannot be deleted.]

[Skill Selection: Choose one of your currently possessed skills to undergo evolution.]

It was the notification he had yearned for so much.

But there was no time to get sentimental.

A strange magic was binding the villagers, and those beasts were closing in on Claire.

[Skill: Spark]

[Skill: Triple Strike]

[Skill: Physical Acceleration]

Hio’s fingers moved quickly yet carefully as he selected one of his skills.

[You have selected Skill – ‘Spark’.]

[Analyzing the effect of Skill – ‘Spark’ in conjunction with the trait.]

What Hio chose was Spark.

Triple Strike’s effect was also incredible.

If an old man the size of a mountain appeared behind him and swung a sword together with him, the destructive power would go without saying.

But with that, allies and enemies alike would be swept away.

In short, it would be the worst possible choice for a battle where you need to protect others.

Physical Acceleration was tempting as well, but for now, Spark was the most useful.

[Analysis complete.]

[Hidden Trait Reward Applied: The effect of Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet! has been bestowed upon the skill Spark.]

[Skill Rank Evolution: Spark has been upgraded to the highest tier.]

[Skill Name Transformation: Spark has awakened into Thunder Emperor.]

[Skill: Thunder Emperor]

[Lord of Lightning: The sovereign who commands thunder itself.]

[Effect: Summon lightning and call down thunderbolts at will. You may even transform into living lightning and wield its full destructive power.]

[Duration: Varies depending on the wielder’s available magic power.]

Hio quickly scanned through the skill, but neither admired nor rejoiced.

His patience, strained for so long, had already reached its breaking point.

The scene before his eyes was just too tragic.

So he simply moved forward in silence.

A thick, black cloud and flashing lightning followed in his wake.

***

Comparing the depths of fear is no easy task.

Sometimes, one thing seems more terrifying, but when another terror appears right before your eyes, it feels even worse.

That’s the cunning nature of the human heart.

But what if you’re forced to choose between two fears coexisting?

Reason may hesitate, but instinct will unerringly pick out the greater terror.

Just like Doris and his group were now doing.

“M-m-monster…”

A sky growing dark, thunder rumbling low and deep.

A white brilliance so intense that even the fierce flames seemed like mere background.

A man shrouded in that light approached, and for those who had to face him, he was living terror itself.

“Stay back, all of you.”

A voice that, under normal circumstances, would have sent chills down their spines now sounded as sweet as salvation.

“Y-yes!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Doris and his group turned and fled behind the Black-robed Man.

The five Black-robed Men from Heuka strode forward like ghosts.

“How could a being like you be hiding in a backwater like this?”

A voice with no highs or lows.

Devoid of emotion, that voice had just moments ago dominated the area, but compared to the man walking forward with thunder and lightning, it lacked any dignity.

The white eyes of Hio swept over the five Black-robed Men.

“Are you from Heuka?”

A short but powerful statement.

In an instant, just a glance was enough for him to see through their identities.

‘…What in the world is he?’

Though he had lived for years with his emotions suppressed, he could not help but feel flustered before the being in front of him.

“Ah, I’m the kind of person who jumps out of bed just thinking about Atawolf.”

Atawolf.

Known as the leader of Heuka, shrouded in black mist.

Very few knew this, even within Heuka, only the executives.

What kind of person was Heuka’s leader?

Whenever the continent’s strongest were mentioned, his name was always on the list.

‘But still…’

A man who called that name so casually, even referring to him with disdain, what could he possibly be?

Heuka’s executive, Maidertz, made his decision at once.

‘He’s not someone we can handle.’

He wasn’t someone Maidertz could dare to face.

So he would retreat and deliver the information.

That wouldn’t be difficult.

His abilities were more secretive and swift than anything else.

‘I’m leaving.’

Maidertz gave a small signal and tried to activate his skill.

No—he tried to.

KWAANG—!

If only a bolt of lightning hadn’t crashed down above his head.

“Trying to run?”

It was obvious who the owner of that lightning was.

Unable to contain his rising suspicion, Maidertz asked, “…Do you have a connection to Lord Atawolf?”

“A connection… Well, I suppose you could say that.”

“We failed to recognize someone so noble. If you let us go, Heuka will offer an apology and a great reward…”

“Ah, but it’s a bad connection.”

Hio’s hand flicked.

“Die.”

KWAANG—!

Lightning struck, and cracks spread across the black barrier surrounding them.

“Guh!”

Blood soaked the mask of one of the Black-robed Men standing behind.

The body was overloaded from blocking a force that surpassed its limits.

‘I can withstand a few more hits—if I use up the four behind me, I should be able to buy enough time to escape…’

Maidertz finished his calculations and quickly tried to activate his ability.

“…Ah.”

He only realized when he unconsciously looked up at the sky, which had grown noticeably brighter.

The whole sky was covered in black clouds.

And beneath them, dozens, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of threads of lightning drifted leisurely.

Every last bolt was aimed directly at him.

The sight inspired awe, far beyond fear—

A miracle powerful enough to stir even dulled emotions.

Maidertz’s world soon turned pure white.

“…Beautiful.”

Dozens of bolts fell at once, with a thunderous roar that seemed to tear the very air apart.

KWAANG—!

Nothing remained where they struck.

The five Black-robed Men.

Their abilities, their thoughts, their bodies—

All incinerated in an instant by the lightning.

Only a charred black mark remained.

And now, Hio, wreathed in that blinding fear, turned his gaze to Doris.

“Ku… kuh…”

Doris, having fallen on his backside, could only gasp for breath.

He was conscious, but his body wouldn’t move.

How could he possibly flee from lightning, which he couldn’t even follow with his eyes?

The three mercenaries who had followed him had already fainted from sheer terror.

Doris almost envied them.

Just meeting those white eyes felt enough to drive him mad.

“I warned you, didn’t I? Not to come near.”

KWAANG—!

A bolt struck near Doris.

His body jolted in fright, and he managed to move his head just a little.

The spot the lightning hit was where Folke had been lying unconscious.

And all that remained was a pile of black ash.

One of his long-time companions had been reduced to dust by a mere glance from the man.

Doris’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.

“P-please… spare…”

KWAANG—!

Another bolt crashed down, making his body leap up in terror.

And his head turned unconsciously.

Where Paulo had been, there was only more burnt ash.

A true lightning bolt that left not even bone behind.

KWAANG—!

Even as another bolt struck, Doris didn’t turn his head again.

He knew it was his turn now.

Tears and snot streamed down his face, but he didn’t even notice.

“In your next life…”

Hio’s white eyes were right in front of him.

“Just don’t be born.”

KWAANG—!

The last thing Doris saw was probably much the same as Maidertz.

A sense of all strength draining away.

‘That was close.’

Hio’s magic power was only 10.

***

It took less than a minute to deal with the Heuka lot and the mercenaries.

Even though he’d wasted no time after a brief conversation with the Heuka executive and killed them all immediately, it had been a close call.

‘As expected of a Hidden Trait.’

Only 10.

Being able to maintain a skill like that for almost a minute with such basic magic power—what an unfair ability.

‘…I’m tired.’

The almighty feeling vanished, and the symptoms of magic exhaustion hit him, but he couldn’t collapse just yet.

Fires still raged throughout the village, and there would be wounded to tend to.

Though the world was now free of white lightning, the black clouds still covered the sky.

That meant the effect wasn’t just a skill animation, but real. And—

‘No need to put out the fire… I guess.’

Plop, plop—then shaa~—with a refreshing roar, rain poured down.

The rain fell over the blazing flames, over the shocked villagers.

It fell between Claire’s red hair and red eyes.

And as Hio met Claire’s gaze through the downpour, all he could do was scratch the back of his head.

Claire’s red eyes were staring at him, burning with more intensity than ever before.

Ding—

[Achievement Unlocked! – Hero of the Mountain Valley]

[You have earned 7 points for achieving this feat.]

[You have greatly influenced the residents of Delphir Village.]

[You have earned 9 points for increased fame.]

[Use the Point Shop to enhance your stats, skills, and more!]