[300 GTs bonus]

Aether moved within Zurog again, a last-ditch effort. But it was clear that he had wasted too much of it earlier, and while Sylas was seemingly a funnel for Aether in the surroundings, Zurog had no such ability. That and

It was much too late.

Sylas' fist moved like the wind, the darkness not seeming to bother him as much any longer as he drove a fist right through the gnoll elite's head. At the same time, his dagger drove into the back of his skull.

The two-pronged attack skewered the gnoll. The last of his strength sputtered as he fell to his knees, his eyes filled with disbelief up until the moment they finally dimmed.

Sylas stood there, huffing deep breaths.

This was it. The flow of battle.

[10/10 Fluid Attack Transitions]

Sylas tilted his head up to the skies, breathing heavily. Blood trickled down his body from various wounds, but oddly enough his Scorned Wraps always seemed to remain dry.

The moon was a beautiful crescent, and the stars were twinkling in their own beautiful orchestra. It was the kind of sight you couldn't normally see on Earth, at least not where he lived. But even so, it felt so benign compared to the feelings rushing through his body right at this moment.

By this point, he was certain that he was some kind of deviant. He wasn't sure what was so fun about putting your life on the line constantly, but maybe he should have known that he had these sorts of proclivities the moment he clicked [Yes].

He could faintly hear Cassarae making a victory speech and the celebration of the villagers, but he tuned it all out as he basked in the feeling.

"I know that face."

Sylas didn't know how long he stood there, but the voice came so suddenly that he was almost startled. Only after he looked over did he realize it was Cassarae.

"We need to go clear the gnoll village," Sylas suddenly said.

"Don't try to change the subject, Sylas," Cassarae said with an almost creepy grin, as though she had caught him doing something dirty. "If you had a mirror here, you'd probably be jacking off to your own reflection. Don't think that just because you're not wearing a shit-eating grin that I don't know what you're thinking."

Sylas wasn't even surprised by the crude words. She had a model's looks and a sailor's mouth. It was probably Newton's fourth law that Cassarae had to cuss at least once for every sentence she spoke in a day.

"Accusing me of such things when you clicked yes too is kind of hypocritical, don't you think?"

He wasn't looking at her expression, so he didn't see the odd look in her eyes when he said that. What he did hear, though, was her quippy response.

"Deflecting again, huh? Well, I can't say you don't deserve it this time, just don't get in over your head."

Sylas finally sent her a glance and blinked. "You look tired."

She did. Her hair had lost all its volume due to the sweat and blood, and her eyes seemed to have lost some of its usual brightness.

In response, though, she rolled her eyes.

"You still haven't learned how to talk to women. I believe the words you were looking for are: 'you look perfect.'"

Sylas actually chuckled a bit, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He looked her up and down and shook his head.

"No, you definitely look like a hot mess."

Cassarae flipped her sweat-matted hair. "Emphasis on hot, thank you very much. Now go get some rest yourself. We're in no state to raid a village right now. Although there shouldn't be any other gnolls, who knows what's out there?"

Sylas shook his head. "We can't risk that. There was something very odd about the leader, especially those zombie wolves too. I think the secret is in or near the village."

Cassarae hesitated. She really just wanted to sleep and her mind was filled with worry about who she'd even put on guard duty for the night. All the militiamen and the Quest takers were completely spent. She really didn't want to deal with this right now, especially since the main threat was gone. But

"I'll go. It isn't a problem. I'll be back before the night is through, so long as everything goes well."

Cassarae bit her lip. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She hesitated before she steeled herself. "Then, are you willing to join Casstle Main? As an official member, I mean. There's a system that allows the recruitment of adventurers. It's a slightly different path than the usual villager spawning path. I think that's what the others want to do too"

Her voice trailed off.

It was clear to her that Morgan, Lauren, and Alex saw this as more than just a Quest. They saw it as hope to not have to spend every second looking over their shoulders. This was the real reason they had stayed. They really didn't want to have to go back.

Casstle Main was the number-one-ranked human territory. If they didn't join her, then who would they join?

"I would love to, but I can't," Sylas replied.

Cassarae's expression dimmed a bit. But what she didn't expect was to suddenly see Sylas' status screen in front of her.

[Name: Sylas Grimblade]

[Species: Human (F)]

[Affiliation: Grimblade Lineage]

[Level: 0]

[Titles: A Flexible Will; Skill Savant (FFF+); Madness Conqueror (FF-); A Patient Stalker (F-)]

[Physical: 50]

>[Strength: 50]

>[Constitution: 50]

>[Dexterity: 50]

>[Speed: 50]

[Mental: 47]

>[Intelligence: 10]

>[Wisdom: 10]

>[Charisma: 122]

[Will: 94]

[Luck: 1]

[Skills: Madness Control (FF+); Basic Scouting (F-); Maddened Enlightenment (FF+)]

[Comprehensions: Madness (FFF)]

[Gene State: Soft]

[Fragmented Genes: Grimblade Lineage (F); (8) Dexterity (F); (6) Constitution (F); (6) Strength (F)]

[Common Genes: (3) Speed (F); (3) Strength (F); (2) Constitution (F); (3) Dexterity (F)]

[Gene Talents: Blade Aura (Unranked); Sudden Burst (F); Tail Whip (F-)]