Chapter 14: "When Silence Followed the Cry"
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Agony and screams filled the air as ashes fell like snow. Children cried as if it would never end, their voices lost in the smoke. Amid it all, laughter echoed—cold and cruel—from those who found joy in the suffering.
My eyes were burning with rage, locked onto the direction where the Bandit Leader sat atop his horse.
He was smiling—calm, arrogant—waiting for me to make the first move.
But before I could act, three bandits lunged at me.
I dodged each of their strikes with sharp precision. And with every sidestep, I let my blade dance.
A clean slash across the neck—once, twice, thrice.
In just seconds, the three attackers fell to the ground at the same time.
Lifeless. Silenced.
Still, my gaze never left the Bandit Leader.
I began to move toward him.
In one swift motion, I jumped high and slashed down my sword, aiming straight for him—
But he blocked it. Effortlessly. Still smiling. As if I was nothing more than a child swinging a stick.
I tried again. And again.
Leaping, slashing from different angles—
But no matter how I moved, no matter how wild or precise my attacks were,
He parried every single one with ease.
"You have an impressive sword style," the Bandit Leader said with a mocking tone.
"Why waste your strength protecting weaklings?
The strong rule over the weak, and the weak obey.
This village... is nothing but a worthless speck—"
Before he could finish, I activated my skill:
[Mirage] A skill that i obtained after defeating Fin inside the Labyrinth. Its a blinking Skill that hides your presence for a second.
Clang—!
"You sneaky bastar—!"
I struck him again before he could recover his posture.
He was still on his horse—making it harder for me to reach him, but I didn't care.
I slashed without mercy.
Blood stained my face, my hair.
Not just theirs—the blood of the bandits I had cut down,
but also the blood of the villagers I had carried away… hidden from his eyes.
Those they slaughtered.
I stood there, breathing heavily, eyes glowing with fury.
And yet—
Even after all my attacks…
his HP didn't go down.
Not even a sliver.
I felt something twist in my gut.
Disbelief? No.
Frustration.
"Hahaha… Now I see it clearly," the Bandit Leader sneered.
"Have you grown attached to these villagers… O brave warrior?"
I gritted my teeth.
I was about to lunge at him again—
but something stopped me.
A System warning blinked in front of my vision:
[Warning: An enemy has activated a skill.]
The Bandit Leader's aura surged.
Dark, suffocating, malicious.
[Flesh Aura – Lvl 20]
Effect: All stats doubled for 30 seconds.
My eyes widened.
In an instant—he vanished from sight.
The next thing I saw—
His sword, glinting with death, was already at my throat.
My world spun.
I couldn't even feel the pain.
Behind him, I watched as he calmly flicked his blade to remove the blood from it—my blood—
and returned it to its scabbard.
The sky darkened.
My vision dimmed.
And then, I saw it:
[Resurrect to your current position? Y/N?]
…
(Villager's PoV)
I saw Kuya Leben fighting that wicked man in black, the one riding a horse.
Their movements were far too fast for my eyes to follow. I could only make out flashes, blurs, and the sound of steel clashing in the distance.
Then suddenly, they stopped for a moment—facing each other, as if exchanging words I couldn't hear.
My eyes widened in horror when I saw the man in black change. His expression twisted into a sinister grin. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from atop his horse.
And just like that, he was behind Kuya Leben—his blade already drawn in a sweeping motion.
I watched Kuya Leben fall to the ground.
Before I even realized it, I was running toward him, crying out, tears spilling from my eyes.
I shook Kuya Leben's body, desperate to wake him up.
But he didn't move.
He didn't speak.
I sobbed harder, louder.
"Shut your mouth!"
I froze in fear.
The wicked man was standing there, looming over me.
I stood up, tears streaming down my face, and ran toward him without thinking.
"You monster!"
"What did you do to Kuya Leben? You monster! Monster! MONSTER!"
I hit him with my fists, over and over again.
Then suddenly, his hand reached for my neck.
My feet no longer touched the ground. I couldn't breathe. His grip tightened.
I struggled, kicking, scratching, anything to break free—but he was too strong.
And then… Everything went dark.
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(Gorren's PoV)
We clashed for only a moment, blades meeting with a loud ring. Then, we stopped—our eyes locked. I saw the fire burning in his gaze.
And I smiled.
The fool didn't realize it yet. Not until it was too late.
In a blink, I vanished from my saddle.
I reappeared behind him, standing silently. He froze, and before he could even turn, I slashed my sword clean. I saw his head fell in the ground.
The moment his body hit the dirt, I heard footsteps—someone running toward us, sobbing.
A child?
She dropped beside him, shaking him, screaming his name.
Useless.
"Wake up! Kuya Leben! Please wake up!" she cried.
I watched her, annoyed by her noise. Her voice grated on my nerves.
"Shut your mouth!," I said, stepping forward.
She looked up at me, eyes full of tears and rage.
"You monster!" she screamed. "What did you do to Kuya Leben? You monster! Monster! MONSTER!"
She started hitting me with her tiny fists.
Pathetic.
I grabbed her by the throat.
She kicked and scratched, but it was pointless. Her feet left the ground as I lifted her easily.
Tears poured down her cheeks as she struggled in my grasp.
And slowly, her vision dimmed.
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I bit my lip in frustration, trying to calm myself—the events were happening far too fast.
"Level gapped!" I muttered with clear disappointment.
I waited anxiously for the countdown on the Resurrection System. This wasn't like before, where instant respawn was possible when memories were the currency for the penalty. This time, I had to sacrifice rare items just to be resurrected again.
Almost x100 rare items were required per resurrection, and the cost depended entirely on your level. I was Level 20, and the system demanded 50 rare items for every 10 levels—meaning I had to pay a total of 100 rare items just to come back. And unlike before, it came with a 25-second countdown before resurrection could activate. That's how the mechanics of Alfiria Saga worked in my world.
When I was finally resurrected, my world froze in place—like the heavens themselves came crashing down on me upon witnessing the scene before me.
The Bandit Leader stood tall, carrying a child—gripping them tightly by the neck. A twisted smile painted across his face as he stared at the lifeless body in his grasp.
Ruru?
Before I could even scream, my feet moved on their own. Without hesitation, I activated my skill:
[Mirage]!
My vision sharpened, my eyes filled with blazing rage, my sanity hanging by a thread. Everything happened in a blur.
In an instant, the Bandit Leader's arm fell to the ground—I had sliced it cleanly with my blade.
Now in my arms was the cold, lifeless body of Ruru. One of the village children who always waited for me at the edge of the forest every time I returned from hunting.
"When I grow up, I'll marry Kuya Leben, hihihi! And he'll bring me all the food I want!"
I remembered her last words the last time we talked in the village.
I gently laid her body on the ground.
I glared back at the Bandit Leader, my eyes burning with fury.
Confusion and disbelief twisted his face as he looked at me.
"How!? I saw your head severed from your body!" he shouted, clutching his bleeding right arm in disbelief.
I couldn't hear anything else he said. I activated [Mirage] once more.
He managed to block my strike—but not like before. I noticed it. His stance had changed. His eyes… were different now. It was as if he was staring at a monster.
He activated his skill again: [Flesh Aura]. And with it, he successfully severed my left arm. But before a smug grin could spread across his face, he suddenly realized—my dagger was already buried deep into his side.
His expression contorted into shock and pain. He lunged toward me again, and everything around me faded to darkness. This time, I sacrificed my memories to the system so I can resurrect faster.
Yes…
I returned once more to the exact spot where I had died, only to find the Bandit Leader frantically searching his surroundings.
Without hesitation, I used [Mirage] again and slashed him across the back with my blade.
"Aghh?" he gasped, clearly startled and still confused by what was happening.
"Who are you!? What kind of monster are you!?" he yelled, his voice trembling.
His skill was still active—he charged at me again.This time, I didn't resist the strike. I needed the death, needed the reset.
Yes…
Again, I repeated the cycle. Using my skill. Attacking. Dying. Coming back.
I noticed it—his HP was dropping little by little. His skill was now on cooldown.
And then, on the fifth time I resurrected—using my skill once more—I pulled out another dagger from my inventory.
The Bandit Leader prepared to block my attack toward his side again, thinking I would do the same. But I didn't. I feinted the move, spun my body, and instead drove the dagger upward—thrusting it straight beneath his chin. The blade pierced through the underside of his jaw, tearing through and emerging from the crown of his skull.
He stared at me, wide-eyed in complete shock. Slowly, he staggered back, away from me—step by step—until his legs gave out, and he collapsed. Blood poured freely across the ground beneath him.
"You won't be smirking anymore," I whispered coldly.
"Level up."
"Level up."
"Level up."
"Level up."
John Leben [Lvl. 24]
HP: 600/600 (+70)(+300)
MP: 50 (+500)
Class: [None]
Rank: [White]
Title: [Dark Knight] [Beast Hunter]
Skill: [Mirage Lvl. 10]
Str: 1 (+5)(+21)
Int: 1 (+5)
Dex: 12 (+5)(+5)
Con: 26(+5) (+7)
Wis: 0 (+5)
Available Points: 8
Skill Points: 13
Resurrections Remaining: 8
Memory Penalties: 51
"[Hidden Scenario Quest Cleared: "Ashes of a Nameless Place]"
"Acquired— Title: Protector of the Nameless"
"Acquired— +10 Resurrection Bonus"
"Acquired— (Hidden Bonus)"
"Hidden Bonus opening...."
"Acquired"
"Skill: [Rage Trance Lvl.]
Effects: All stats doubles for 3 minutes, immuned to all physical and magical dmg.
Cooldown: 1 Day"
"Blessing Barrier x1
You can set a Blessing Barrier in any specific place you desire. Once set, the place will become a savepoint away from any danger or hostile individuals."
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Author's Note – Ruru's Voice 🕊️
Up until now, Alfiria Saga has been told entirely through Leben's eyes. But for Chapter 14, I wanted to pause and let someone else speak—just once.
This is Ruru's first point of view… and sadly, his last.
He was a small presence in the story, but a bright one. And even if his time was short, I believe his voice deserved to be heard—if only to remind us what was lost, and why Leben keeps walking forward.
Thank you for reading, and for remembering Ruru with me.
– GomiSekai🥲❤️