Julian didn't have to wait long before, at the edge of the forest, he was surrounded by five people who looked as if they had found new prey. Julian sized them up, noting their rough appearances and the way they held their weapons. He could sense their intent, and it was clear they underestimated him.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" sneered the leader, a burly man with a scar running down his face. "A little hunter all by himself. Looks like we found ourselves some easy money."
Julian's eyes narrowed. He reached for his dagger, his senses heightened. "I suggest you back off," he said calmly.
The leader laughed, a harsh sound that echoed through the forest. "Or what, kid? You're gonna fight us all?"
"What if I am?"
"Then this happens!" the leader snarled as he shot a lightning spell at Julian, who easily dodged it.
"Men, go beat him up and snatch his money. Don't blame me, kid. This is the law of the jungle," said the man. Julian sighed.
Without another word, Julian moved. He closed the distance between them in an instant, his dagger flashing.
The leader reacted before Julian's blade sliced through the air, forcing him to jump back.
One of the thugs lunged at Julian from behind, but he spun around, blocking the attack with his dagger and countering with a swift kick to the man's gut, sending him crashing into a tree.
'Sigh
Why didn't they mind their own business?
Do they think the person who killed 50 mana boars in such a short time was weak?
Are they retarded? ' Julian thought as he dodged another lightning attack.
Another attacker tried to flank him, but Julian was too quick. He sidestepped the blow and delivered a precise slash to the man's leg, bringing him down.
The remaining three thugs hesitated, realizing they had underestimated their opponent. Julian's movements were fluid and precise, each strike calculated to incapacitate without killing.
One thug recovered and cast a fireball at Julian. With a flick of his wrist, Julian conjured a barrier of flames that absorbed the attack. He then countered with his fire magic, launching a stream of flames that forced the thug to dive out of the way.
"Get him!" the leader roared, desperate to regain control as he sent out more lightning bolts towards Julian.
The three attackers charged at Julian simultaneously, each using different magic. One shot a stream of ice, another summoned a gust of wind, and the third tried to entangle Julian with earth spikes. Julian remained unfazed. He deflected the ice attack with his dagger, melted the earth spikes with a burst of flames, and used the wind to his advantage by propelling himself into the air.
From above, Julian rained down a barrage of fireballs, scattering the thugs. He landed gracefully, using his momentum to deliver a powerful kick to one thug, knocking him out cold. He disarmed another with a swift strike to the wrist, sending the weapon flying, and knocked him unconscious with an elbow strike.
The last thug standing swung a heavy club at Julian, but he ducked under the swing and delivered a powerful uppercut, sending the man sprawling to the ground. The leader, now alone and visibly shaken, took a step back.
"You... you're a monster!" the leader stammered.
Julian took a step forward, his gaze cold and unwavering. "Leave now, and you might live."
The leader didn't need to be told twice. He turned and fled, disappearing into the forest. Julian watched him go, then sheathed his dagger. He took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline ebb away.
"Looks like I'll have to be more careful in the future," Julian muttered to himself as he resumed his journey.
Julian returned to the church in a foul mood. He would rather avoid killing unless there was no other option left. He informed Sister Theresa about his adventure over the past two days, and she was happy that he didn't have to stain his hands with blood so early.
For the next three months, Julian hunted continuously, sometimes receiving extra rewards from clients. His mana core was improving, and he estimated that it would take about six more months to break into light orange. He had refined his dagger arts significantly. Most people avoided him because of the incident, but some tried their luck and ended up with broken limbs. Some even tried to recruit him into their small organizations, but the same thing happened to them. Julian wasn't scared of the consequences, as big organizations wouldn't bother with him.
Currently, Julian was analyzing and fighting a Geo Rhino. This beast was serious trouble. Its skin was so hard that his dagger couldn't pierce it, and his fire spells didn't cause much damage beyond burning the skin. The rhino gathered mana from its horns, which were the hardest part of its body, and a hit from them could be fatal. This creature could have become the lord of the forest if not for its low reproductive rate and tendency to lose sanity when hungry. This rhino had migrated from deep within the Grand Magic Zone and had completely destroyed two fields.
Julian realized that his dagger or spells couldn't hurt the rhino. The only way left was to damage its internal organs. He destroyed its eyes with his dagger and blasted flames into its head. For the next half hour, he constantly kicked and punched the rhino around with mana reinforcement, causing internal injury and finally killing it. As the beast died, its skin became softer than before.
Julian dissected the corpse without damaging its skin and horn, as they would sell for the most, and noted the results he found. Day by day, he was getting used to seeing blood. Back on Earth, he never imagined being covered in blood.
He submitted the corpse to the person who requested it, kept the horn for himself, and got his money. When Julian returned to the guild and submitted his confirmation report, his performance was already recognized. Today's kill made them respect him even more. What Julian didn't know was that the most surprised was the black-cloaked man in the far corner.
Julian exited the building, and as he was about to fly off, his instincts screamed at him. He quickly took out his dagger and tried to parry the sword that was coming for his face. He was pushed away 50 meters by the sheer physical strength of the attacker. He wasn't able to completely parry the attack, and his mask was broken, revealing his face. When he saw the man, Julian cursed in his mind for being subjected to his attacks. The sheer aura and presence the man was releasing were enough to petrify his movements and make him forget about running, as if hands of tentacles of darkness were holding his limbs. Julian knew the pressure was controlled so that he wouldn't faint right away, but it was far greater than Sister Theresa's. He realized that it wasn't mana pressure, or else he would have fainted.
The man was huge and bulky, using a black cloth as a robe with a logo. He held a Japanese katana in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Yes, he was the captain of the Black Bulls, Yami Sukehiro.