A Strange Dream

"I will tell my Lord about thi-"

The beast guardian shouted in pain once more, and it's more painful than before after losing his claws because his tongue was cut.

After cutting the tongue of the beast guardian in just a split second without making a single movement, the man sighed heavily.

However, the beast guardian's tongue will regenerate after thirty seconds.

Shadow clan has the ability to regenerate their body parts one at a time; the larger the body part, the longer it will take for it to regenerate.

"My intention is not to harm you in any way-"

"Shut up! You just harmed me, you piece of shi-"

He didn't have a chance to finish because the man teleported in front of him and strangled him using his right hand.

"I decide what's harmful and what's not, you got me?" The beast guardian nodded weakly before the man let go of him.

This man is definitely not a human, though his appearance does look like one. He is wielding a black sword, wearing a set of black armor, and he has a bizarre black horse with him.

This horse is like a cloud of smoke because it has no definite form, as well as its eyes. This horse of his is a three-headed horse with blue smokey eyes, and it has huge wings because the size of it is four times as big as the normal horse. The three heads also have piercings on their nose like a bull.

The three-headed smoke horse of Labyrinth — Tricephale.

The man went back to Tricephale to take something. The beast guardian saw this as an opportunity to escape from him.

"Don't be so nervous, Garhagar. I just want you to answer my only question."

"I not listen to you! Never my life!" the beast guardian — Garhagar — shouted before turning his back on him, preparing to run for his life.

As soon as he did his first step, his head got cut instantly and it rolled over on the floor. In just a blink of an eye, his huge body fell on the floor with his green blood scattered everywhere.

"Huh…?" Garhagar said confusingly.

The woman was also shocked because of what she had witnessed.

Apparently, Garhagar is still alive because of his regeneration effect. He could just take his head back to his body.

He will die, only if his heart stops beating.

"I gave you an order. And if you wish not to follow me, I will let you savor a miserable death," the man said to Garhagar with a blank expression written on his face.

"I-I-I will not... I help you all my heart... Just spare me, K-King..." Garhagar said with his voice shaking in fear.

The man — King — smirked at him after hearing his approval. He lifted Garhagar's head from the floor. He then looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Tell me, Garhagar. What is the next plan of your Lord?" King asked in a serious tone.

Garhagar's eyes instantly widen after hearing his question. His expression became more nervous than before. The veins on his eyes are now showing as if it's about to explode.

"I-I don't know... The Lord doesn't tell anyone... The Lord's plans always unknown..." Garhagar said in fright.

"Garhagar, I know that you know what I always do to anyone who speaks lies to me, right?" King replied with the same tone he used.

"I-I'm not lyin—Graaahhh! M-M-My heart! S-Stop! P-Please!" Tears started falling from Garhagar's eyes.

King pierced Garhagar's heart using his black sword. Using some hand gestures, he can control the sword even with a far distance.

"One..." King whispered, looking intensely at Garhagar.

"I-I'm not allowed tell you... K-K-King…!" Garhagar then replied.

"Two..."

"I-I must not tell anyone! The L-Lord... The Lord kill me if I do…!" Garhagar confessed.

"Three..."

"K-King, please... Mercy on m-"

"Ammania's Second Potential: Sun Explosion."

The black sword that is pierced on Garhagar's heart suddenly exploded after King cast his spell.

Garhagar's body turned into tiny bits, burned. He shouted in misery for the last time, before his body vanished into thin air.

[Ammania's Second Potential: Sun Explosion.]

[Skill description: The caster's weapon/s will have the ability to become an explosive medium/s that can release a destructive power similar to that of a bomb.

After the activation of the skill, the weapon/s used will return to its normal form.]

[Duration (time before the spell will be activated): 15 seconds – Beginner, 7 seconds – Intermediate, None – Expert.]

[Power (range of destruction in radius): 5 meters – Beginner, 25 meters – Intermediate, 60 meters – Expert.]

"Just as I thought. He is no different from his peers. They are all useless," King said before breathing heavily.

King's black sword reappeared back to his hand, and he put it back in its scabbard.

The woman was stunned, she couldn't move nor blink. Perhaps occurrences like this is beyond her understanding.

King snapped his fingers in front of her eyes to bring her back to reality.

"Go back to your homeland. This place is dangerous," he warned the woman before riding on his horse.

The woman stared at King as he started leaving with his horse. The feeling of fright she felt before was immediately swayed by the man's chivalry.

Suddenly, everything turned black. The medieval-themed place earlier is now filled with a bunch of things a not-so-rich teenager has.

Zach had woken up because of a deafening sound. He sat on his bed dripping in sweat and panting heavily.

He thoroughly scanned his environment and found himself back in his bedroom. He was bewildered and scared at the same time.

"Another same weird dream… It's even more realistic this time… What the hell is happening to me…?"

Zach massaged his temple while his brows are furrowed. The events turned out to be one of the same type of dreams he had encountered these past few days.

He then reached his alarm clock and looked at the time. He panicked instantly upon seeing the numbers he hate the most.

"Damn it! I overslept!" Zach put the clock back on his lamp table, panicking. He then immediately prepared everything he needs for work.

"I'm leaving," he said before locking the door.

After preparing for about 10 minutes, the time is now 6:30 in the morning. His work starts at 6 so he is already late for 30 minutes.

They say that 'it's better to be late than never', but Zach's thinking is you could say, a little bit off.

'If I'm already late, then might as well enjoy it."

Zach is a passionate man and always true to his words. So instead of going straight to work, just like what a normal 'late person' would do, he went to the city park to enjoy himself being late.

"This feels nice. I still have time until 7 so I don't have to worry," he muttered to himself while sitting on a bench.

Zach's work has a strict rule that if you're late for more than an hour without any valid reason, you will get suspended, and if it continues, you have to get another job.

In Zach's case, it's not long enough until he has to get another job.

The reason for him being late a few times now was his recent dreams. The dreams that are now affecting his life. He has no idea what those were but he's sure that those must be stopped.

Because he can't get a somewhat higher-paying job due to his life status, losing this job is literally a no-no.

He's been living at the bottom of the pyramid ever since he gained awareness of his existence. Going up is something impossible for him to achieve, thus maintaining his position right now is a must.

"Mommy, look! The dog is chewing a frog! So cute!" Zach looked at the happy child and smiled painfully when he saw the mother came.

He has been living his life all by himself even when he was still a little child. So nobody took care of him other than himself.

He hadn't also been able to have a proper education like a normal child should have. Everything he knows today is because of him wandering the streets of the city.

First, he learned to read and write after he found a book inside an old sewer, floating in liquid wastes with a dead rat resting on it.

A few days after, he learned that unused books and other things were always thrown in a dump. He was glad as if he won a lottery.

For him, it was the happiest moment of his life. Because not only did he found lots of books, he even found foods that can somehow fill his empty stomach for the next few weeks, or if by any chance, for a whole month.

Despite the risk of food poison and other internal diseases, beggars can't be choosers.

And just like that, he began to understand how life works, and how cruel it is to be alive.

But even so, even after all of these, he didn't stop moving forward. Perhaps because this is his only option unless he wants to die.

He also believes on a saying that goes, "There is always an another person who's suffering a life far worse than yours."

So instead of crying and begging for others' sympathy, he pushed himself above his limit in order to survive.

"Zach! You are late again! How many times did this happen?!" Zach's boss yelled at him after he came to the shop.

It is a café shop with a vintage vibe so it's not shocking to see a lot of customers already after opening for only an hour.

This is also the reason why his boss is mad like he always does. The shop needs more manpower so it's frustrating for the boss that he's late.

'My salary will be deducted. That's for sure. Well, it's my fault after all… I just have to deal with it.'

"Your salary will be deducted and you're also suspended for a week starting tomorrow," his boss said with full of authority and seriousness in his voice.

Zach's face formed a shocked expression. He didn't expect that punch line from his boss.

"B-But boss-"

"That's it. Go back to work," his boss cut him off. Zach knew he can't change it no matter what so he just nodded hopelessly.

"Understood, sir," Zach replied, bowing his head. He then sighed heavily after his boss left him.

Zach weakly wore his uniform while thinking of himself in the next seven days without pay, and of course, with no food.

It's fine for him if the only punishment was the deduction of his salary because he can just use his money wisely.

But he didn't assume that the worst-case scenario will happen. Now, he has to think of other ways to earn money while suspended.

And unfortunately, that is the most difficult thing to do in today's age. It is like finding gold inside a fish.

He only got this job because his boss was short on employees, otherwise, he will probably be still out on the streets, licking the floor to stay alive.

'This life sucks…'

'If only I was born rich and stable, I won't have to live a shitty life like this…'