Chapter 92: Pursuers appeared

Chapter 92: Pursuers appearedLater, Sword God suddenly disappeared without explanation and was never seen again. Countless rumours circulated: some claimed he had succumbed to old injuries during a fierce battle, while others suggested he had embarked on secluded training, indifferent to the outside world.

However, his disappearance ushered in thousands of years of peace for humanity, as none dared to challenge them out of fear of the Sword God.

During those thousands of years, humans also cultivated many talented individuals who attained great strength, challenged gods without the Sword God’s assistance, and stood against them with their strength.

In later generations, many pursued the path of the sword and achieved god-like status, yet none assumed the title or name "Sword God," recognizing that there could only be one Sword God throughout history.

Apollo was stunned upon hearing of the legendary deeds of the Sword God. He hadn’t been born into a powerful clan, nor did he possess a mutated life force like most geniuses. Despite this, wielding his sword, he split the sky and shook the world, becoming an eternal legend in Rion.

He finally acknowledged someone superior to him, though he never showed it outwardly. Deep down, he had always believed himself to be the best, unbeatable due to his talent or the system.

Now, learning of all this, he realized the world had more to offer and that he couldn’t afford complacency. After all, who knew when a monster like that might appear before him?

So, he desired to master swordsmanship not just to prove himself but because, through swordplay, one could discover their unique path, much like the Sword God, who forged his destiny and created a sword that embodied his essence.

Every swordsman’s sword emanated a distinct aura; even if they wielded the same skill with the same type and amount of energy, the outcomes differed, making swordsmanship endlessly fascinating.

Since sword aura could be described as a unique power that defines a swordsman, Apollo was eager to discover what kind of sword aura he would possess.

He also hoped to understand his own existence and the reason for his reincarnation through the path of swordsmanship.

After reflecting on the Sword God’s legendary tale, Apollo quickly refocused and glanced ahead. Approaching the corpses of two steel porcupines, he skillfully sliced through their tough skin to extract the valuable poisonous spines, which fetched a substantial price.

He didn’t want to ask for money from his master when he could earn it alone.

He also checked the creation points he had received, totalling twenty points, with each of the two steel porcupines giving him ten creation points apiece.

After that, Apollo and Reid ventured deeper into the Thousand Mountain Forest in search of the Earth Bison. Having witnessed Apollo’s prowess, Reid grew more confident and assured about their expedition.

On their journey, they encountered many other beasts, but these creatures were weaker or of similar strength to the steel porcupines. They posed little challenge to Apollo, who effortlessly sliced them into clean pieces.

Reid watched closely this time and was astonished to see how effortlessly and swiftly Apollo dispatched all those beasts. Even someone weak like Reid felt that Apollo’s swordsmanship was akin to art.

They arrived at the area where Earth Bison usually roamed without much difficulty.

Right now, Reid’s face showed no anxiety, as he had confidence in Apollo’s strength. Apollo had also given him quite a haul of materials from the hunted beasts, which would earn him a sum of money equivalent to what he might not have gained in three months.

It was at the edge of the river, where not only groups of Earth Bison usually gather, but also other ferocious beasts came to hunt or be hunted.

There weren’t any beasts around, and even if there were, they were too weak and worthless. It seemed like it would take time, so they climbed a large tree to rest and wait for the beasts to appear.

Now that they could stop and rest, Apollo quickly opened the creation points tab on the system bar to see how many points he had gathered after almost a full day of hunting.

[Creation points- 2895]

There was a significant increase in creation energy points. If he remembered correctly, he had more than two thousand three hundred creation points left after his breakthrough. Today, he had earned about five hundred creation points by hunting many beasts.

Such an increase wasn’t slow at all; in fact, it was quite fast. Although the beasts he faced weren’t strong, they made up for it in numbers. Compared to stronger beasts, weaker ones appeared countless times more in the forest.

With such an increase, he might be able to collect creation points in five digits within two weeks.

But just as he was happily looking at his creation points, he felt something and looked into the distance with a smile that looked somewhat ominous.

"Finally here."

At a distance from them, a group of mysterious people appeared. The leader of this group seemed to be a tough guy, with multiple cutting wounds on his arms and a fierce aura resembling that of a beast.

There were a total of twelve of them, each exuding a bloody aura that only came from killing many others. It was clear that their group had slaughtered countless people to accumulate such a heavy, ominous aura.

"The target is just ahead; we’ve been following his scent for so long, and we’ve finally caught up to them," the leader declared grimly.

"Damn, I’m going to make those guys regret leading us on for so long."

"Haha, yes, we can cut their legs and hands to make them regret it slowly."

They all laughed menacingly, treating killing and torturing as everyday work.

Apollo, with his sharp senses, could clearly hear what they were saying, and upon hearing it all, he smiled.

Since they were planning to give him and Reid such a good time, it would be bad etiquette if he didn’t return the favour.

He didn’t attack first but let them come to him, as it didn’t matter; the outcome would be the same, so why bother moving?

A few moments later, suddenly, dozens of guys appeared and quickly surrounded them, shocking Reid, who didn’t understand anything.

"Who are you guys? Why are you surrounding us?" Apollo said, his expression a picture-perfect mix of shock, anxiety, and fear as if he were truly anxious and afraid.

Seeing his expression, the group laughed, as this was the normal reaction of others when they were surrounded by them, and they felt this time wouldn’t be any different.

Reid, on the other hand, felt a bit weird because, even though he had known Apollo for less than a day, he wasn’t the type to show weakness. Truthfully, although he felt the group ahead seemed strong, especially the fierce guy with cuts, he still felt weaker compared to the aura Apollo displayed when using his sword.

He couldn’t figure out the reason, but he followed Apollo’s lead, trusting that he must have his reasons for doing so.

Both of them showed expressions of weakness; their panic was evident as they faced the group, making them more confident.

"Haha, yes, that’s the expression you weaklings show when facing us. Come, be more afraid, because none of you will leave this place alive."

One of the guys from the group laughed and threatened them as if he were some big shot, but he was just a guy who had opened nine prana circuits.

Apollo didn’t look at him but instead at the leader, who was the only one among them to have achieved first-rank limit-breaker, and asked.

"Why attack us? We have no enmity with you."

The leader smiled with a fierce aura and spoke with intense, murderous intent.

"Because you are weak and a fat sheep, especially you, white-haired kid, we came here for you."

"Apollo, with his brilliant acting, showed a horrified expression and exclaimed, ’Me? Why?’"

"Haha, naturally! We know you’re a noble’s child and live in a luxurious villa in the centre of town," one of the guys from the group answered, laughing.

"So you were following me from the beginning. If you want money, I can give you all of it. Why kill? Aren’t you afraid of my family’s revenge?"

Apollo asked, wanting to know where their confidence came from to hunt nobles.

Just as the talkative guy from the group was about to say something, the leader stopped him from saying anything.

"That’s enough talk with a dying person. Go and quickly kill them, but be careful not to badly damage their bodies. We need perfect corpses."

Immediately, the guy following the order stopped talking and quickly attacked Apollo. But just, as he came close, he saw Apollo become calm and a bit cold, showing no emotion and murmuring a few words.

"Why stop at the important question? Now it looks like I have to do something horrifying to all of you."