Voices Inside the Head

"Oh? What a stroke of luck, Isn't it the wanted man..."

Aldo looks at the hunter who said that and finds that it's a man that looks to be in his forties, quite muscular and his hair arms are holding a bow with an arrow on its bowstring and is already aiming directly at Aldo.

But his eyes soon fall onto the other hunter on the right that he recognized, it's the man that he usually met since he got back hunting around the same time as this hunter, his name is Erick.

"We come from the same village, don't do this", Aldo mutters carefully.

For all his life he has never been into a fight with a hunter except getting occasionally beaten by Ivor's friends, but now that an arrow is aiming at him, Aldo feels his body stiffen.

With just a flick of the man's finger, he might get arrowed right on his head.

Erick hesitates upon hearing this since he and Aldo usually greet each other like a friend, but the other hunter intervenes with a wide smirk, "It's 10 gold... That's easy money for me", the man's body slowly emits a green hue showing that he's a first circle Ego Fighter.

Seeing this makes Aldo gulp, and he raises his hands slowly not intending to fight.

"Just take the middle-tier beast and let me go, we don't need to fight", Aldo said while walking to the side slowly, his opponent is also a first circle Ego Fighter and Erick might also join in if a fight breaks out.

But Aldo saw the man didn't even reach and sneered instead, he's obviously unwilling to do that.

Without having any other choice, Aldo then activates his red aura trying to show that he's not just some easy picking so that at least this man is content only taking the middle-tier beast.

Erick who is on the side then added, "Let's just take the carcass, no need to fight"

"That middle-tier beast added with its beast core should give us around the same amount, I know Aldo. No need to bully him more, brother", he added before glancing at Aldo with a nod.

Albeit unwilling, the man that turns out to be Erick's brother scoffed.

While still aiming the arrow at Aldo, the man then walks slowly toward the middle-tier beast carcass, "Get the beast core and tied it to the rope, we'll bring this carcass back", he told Erick before Erick did as he was told.

Aldo is still raising his hands under the aim of the man, he watches as Erick slices through the middle-tier beast carcass and takes out a beast core that is glowing even more brightly than the wolf and deer's beast core that he absorb before.

The beast core even takes the shape of the beast more than the wolf's beast core, this alone shows that this middle-tier beast is even stronger than the wolf and the deer. But Aldo can't do anything aside from watching with the arrow pointed at him.

If he died then all of his struggles will be for nothing, and Laziah will be stuck there forever.

'Shit, Why do I have to meet these guys... That should've been mine!', Aldo cursed inside his head as he looks at the glowing beast core that attracted the man's attention.

Erick shows the beast core to his brother with a smile, "Look brother!"

"No way! That's at least 10 gold, I'm sure of it!", the man exclaimed excitedly while looking at the beast core, he even started laughing before glancing at Aldo mockingly. It made Aldo a bit irritated while looking at the man's mocking smile.

While looking at the two men, a voice suddenly entered Aldo's ears.

[Fight them...]

Hearing this, Aldo widens his eyes before he looks around in confusion. There is no one around him except for Erick and his brother, and this makes him even more confused.

[Kill them!]

"Who are you? How did you get inside my head?", Aldo mutters lightly.

The voice sounds very heavy baritone and somewhat doesn't sounds like a person, no person has this kind of voice since there's a trembling growl at the end of its sentences. Just like a beast.

But this sparks a thought in Aldo's head, "Are you my Ego Beast?"

[Kill them, or I will burn your body!]

"Arghh!", Aldo grunted when a sudden burning pain came from his tattoo.

This attracts the man's attention again as he pulled the bowstring back in alert, "What are you doing?! Don't you try anything, or else I'll definitely shoot", he said threateningly.

"I'm not doing anything, just do your th- Argh!", Aldo grunted in pain again.

Even though he still half-believe in the voices inside his head, the burning pain that even boils his own blood shows that it's real. The voice inside his head is real, and it wants to kill Erick and his brother. Death is the penalty.

While holding onto his right arm, Aldo falls to the ground trying to hold the pain.

'Stop it! I know Erick, I can't possibly kill him!', Aldo thought inside his head but the burn kept getting more intense the longer he denies the beast's will, but he doesn't want to do it. He never really hurt anyone, much less kill.

Aldo kept fighting the pain and unknowingly, Erick finished strapping the middle-tier beast.

Erick stood up intending to pull the middle-tier beast's carcass before he looks at his brother who is still warily looking at Aldo, Eric glanced at Aldo and finds that his body is trembling while burying his head on the snowy ground.

But he ignored Aldo and said, "Brother, I'm finished"

"Good, now you pull that carcass and I'll bring this guy back to sir Ivor", the man replied with an evil smirk, turns out he doesn't intend to let Aldo go at all.

Hearing this, Erick was surprised, "Brother! Let's leave him alone, we already got this"

"Shut up! 20 gold is more than just 10 gold, that's the easiest money we can make!", the man shouted while glaring at Erick, his eyes are daggering Erick making him look down meekly.

After shutting off Erick, the man then glance at Aldo again, "Get up kid! Let's go!"

Psh...

A couple of seconds passed and Aldo stayed in his spot with a trembling body, the man can see subtle steam coming from Aldo's right arm. This prompted the man to approach him with care while still aiming the arrow at him.

But just after the man takes a couple of steps, Aldo stood up slowly.

"That's it, be a good boy an-", the man's sentence was cut short when he saw Aldo's eyes turn piercing yellow with his right arm steaming, this caught the man in surprise and he unconsciously let loose of the arrow.

Swish!

"Brother no!!", Erick shouted seeing the arrow flying towards Aldo.

In the next second, Aldo saw the arrow fly at him before hitting his right chest. Under Erick and his brother's gaze, the sharp arrow that even made a whistling sound cutting through the air bounced off of Aldo's chest.

This surprises both of them as they didn't expect something like this.

Even Aldo himself was surprised to see that the sharp arrow doesn't even manage to cut through him, it's almost as if he's wearing steel plate armor. But he's only wearing leather armor, an arrow at such a close range should've pierced his entire body.

Aldo slowly looks up with his piercing yellow eyes, his pupil becomes thin oval almost that of a beast. His red aura started steaming and even the snow around his feet got scorched.

[Kill them! I'll borrow you, power!]

Immediately after the voice said that Aldo feels his throat burning.

There's a bubbling feeling that welled up inside of his throat and even under Erick and his brother's eyes, Aldo's throat is glowing red making them step back in fright.

"Wait a minute! He's a second circle?!", the man exclaimed.

Hearing this, Erick is also troubled as he unconsciously steps back, "B-Brother, I think we should run...", he said whisperingly while looking at Aldo.

Out of nowhere, Aldo vomits but instead of his insides fire comes out of his mouth.

His breath becomes fire. Aldo's body then moved on his own as he directed the fire that comes out of his mouth to his sword, the sword started glowing red until it completely got engulfed by fire. It's contrasting with the surrounding snow as the sword got cloaked with fire.

With wide eyes, Aldo looks at the burning sword in utter surprise.

[Now kill!]

Just after the voice said that Aldo feels an insurmountable of adrenaline suddenly course through his blood as he dashes forward blasting the snow on the ground.

It's like having his entire body boiled with fighting intent.

Swoosh!

The man widened his eyes when he saw that Aldo is already aiming at him, his aura brought the scorching hot steam that even make the man feels his skin sizzling. He feels like he's near a lave even though it's snowy right now, his skin is sizzling like crazy, "What the fuck is he?!"

Raising his bow to block the sword, the man gritted his teeth and cloaked his body with the green aura more preparing for the impact.

But just as the bow contacted the burning sword,

"Arrghhh!!", the man shouted in agony. The burning sword cuts through the bow that is imbued with the green aura easily, it doesn't even stand a chance against the sword. After cutting through the sword, the burning sword slashed the man's entire right arm off.

Thud!

Erick is watching this from the side in utter shock, he saw his own brother screaming in agony wailing on the ground from having his right arm severed.

Hufff...

After severing the man's right arm, Aldo exhales heavily. His breath creates vapor because of his scorching breath, he then raises his eyes slowly before looking at Erick who is stunned on the side unable to move. He wanted to, but he can't.

There's something about Aldo that makes his entire being tremble as if he's in front of a legendary beast that can kill him on a whim.

"A-Aldo... I'm sorry!", Erick pleaded for mercy under Aldo's piercing gaze.

But the voices inside of him keep ranting on to kill Erick, his tattoo is burning even more the longer he waited to kill Erick. With a forced apologetic smile, Aldo then said while pointing the burning sword at him, "I'm sorry, if only you both don't disturb me"

"This wouldn't have happened..."

Erick's lips started to quiver as he steps back slowly, but in the next second, he saw Aldo's piercing yellow eyes leaping towards him before blood burst flew stained the ground red.

Splash!