The Inheritance

-13-

Chapter 601

“…Both of you, stay here. I’m heading there to have a look!” instructed Richard as he got up and took his empty glass before walking in the direction where the four men were sitting.

Since the customers had to refill their own drinks in this restaurant, it was perfectly normal for Richard to get more water for himself. On his return trip, however, he made sure to ‘accidentally’ drop his glass right next to the four men’s table!

Seeing that some of the water had accidentally splashed onto a few of the men’s pants, Richard quickly reached for the glass while ‘apologetically’ saying, “I-I’m sorry!”

In response, one of the men simply got Richard’s glass for him before handing it back to the youth while saying, “It’s fine. Be more careful!”

“I-I will!” replied Richard as he noticed the tattoo on the man’s wrist while taking his glass back.

Following that, he then hurried back to his dining table. The second he sat down, however, his expression instantly turned slightly unpleasant…

Noticing the change in his mood, Juno was prompted to ask, “…What’s wrong, Richard? Did you manage to gather anything…?”

“…Well, for one, those aren’t ordinary people… They belong to the Soul Hunter organization!” whispered Richard.

“The Soul Hunters? That’s them? To think they’d be here as well!” replied the shocked Juno in a hushed voice.

Raising a slight brow, Rey then asked, “…Um… Who exactly are the Soul Hunters…?”

As the name suggested, the Soul Hunters were an organization that specialized in hunting and killing ghosts and spirits. Naturally, they also possessed special equipment that would help them detect the presence of what they hunted.

Regardless, Richard ignored Rey’s question before saying, “…Since they’re looking for the Demonic Blood Clan’s territory, they’re definitely after the token of Demonic Blood as well…”

If that group managed to get their hands on the token, then the consequences would be near unimaginable… After all, they would be able to rule over every ghost and spirit on the planet! Things would surely go out of hand by then! With that in mind, there was no way Richard was going to let them have their way.

“Figured as much… Still, what are we going to do now? Are we getting rid of them?” asked Juno.

Shaking his head, Richard then replied, “Negative. While it’s true that there are only four of them, if I attack them now, I fear that the entire Soul Hunter organization will come after us to have their revenge. That wouldn’t be beneficial at all. With that in mind, I propose that we spy on them first.”

Hearing that, Juno could only agree.

With that, the trio then returned to their rooms to rest after their meal.

Well, Juno and Rey did. Richard himself simply couldn’t allow himself to remain idle. With that, he began meditating… and soon enough, he was able to have an out-of-body experience. With his mind now free to explore, Richard—who was now invisible to the naked eye—immediately began searching for the four Soul Hunters again.

It didn’t take long for him to find them, but by that point, all four of them were already sneakily leaving the hotel despite how late it was.

Watching as they entered the darkness, Richard knew that he had to tail them.

A few minutes later, the group of Soul Hunters found themselves approaching a forest… And standing before that forest, was a mysterious-looking cloaked figure who had his back against them… It was evident that he was waiting there for them…

Seeing him, the four Soul Hunters then hurriedly stood at attention—behind the man—before respectfully declaring, “Leader!”

—

Perfectly hidden, Richard—who had been secretly monitoring all this—found himself slightly surprised.

To think that the cloaked man was actually the leader of the Soul Hunter organization… Since their leader was also present, it only made sense that this was a large-scale mission. In other words, there was possibly going to be more Soul Hunters around…

Richard’s train of thought was cut short when the cloaked man asked his subordinates in a frigid tone, “I trust nobody knows your true identities yet?”

“Worry not, leader, for we’ve concealed our identities well!” replied one of the Soul Hunters.

“You’d better have. Regardless, head for the phosphorite mountain area at dawn. I’ll be heading there first tonight. Again, don’t get found out!” instructed the cloaked man.

“Loud and clear, leader!” replied all four of the Soul Hunters in unison.

With their reply, the cloaked man then leaped into the air, promptly disappearing into the dark of night…

After watching all that, Richard couldn’t help but feel slightly stunned. Just as he had speculated, the Soul Hunters were here for the token of Demonic Blood. The fact that he could tell how strong the leader of the Soul Hunter organization was certainly didn’t make him feel any better…

Regardless, since his party was also planning to head out at dawn, there was a high chance that they were going to bump into the Soul Hunters while heading to the phosphorite mountain area…

Under normal circumstances, even if they did meet, both parties would’ve just ignored each other. After

all, the fact that the cultivators and the Soul Hunters had completely different backgrounds meant that there was little reason for the two groups to meddle with each other.

Unfortunately, since both of them wanted the same thing, conflict was pretty much inevitable.

With that in mind, after thinking about it, Richard decided that it would be best to take out the four Soul Hunters before they even got to the phosphorite mountain area. By doing so, he would at least ensure that the three of them would have fewer enemies to deal with once they were at the actual location.

His mind made up, Richard watched as the four Soul Hunters began to leave… and once they were close enough, Richard made himself visible as he punched the air, forming a shockwave that sent all four of the Soul Hunters flying backward!

Of course, the attack wasn’t lethal, and when they realized what had assaulted them, the four men instantly shouted, “A ghost?!”

All of them recognized Richard as a ghost due to his body’s current state.

Either way, it was clear that none of them had anticipated to bump into a ghost here of all places. Even so, they were trained professionals.

With that, all four of them quickly regained their wits as one of the Soul Hunters angrily shouted, “Quick! Gang up on him!”

Taking their daggers out in response, the four individuals then began charging toward Richard! Since these people actually hunted down and killed ghosts and spirits, they were naturally much stronger compared to ordinary people.

Even so, in the end, they were nowhere near as strong or fast as Richard, and Richard knew it. With that in mind, Richard wasn’t about to get intimidated by their group attack anytime soon.

Instead, he simply chose to easily dodge their attacks!

Before the Soul Hunters could launch their second round of attacks, Richard swiftly grabbed one of the men by his throat!

Unable to react in time, the other three Soul Hunters could only stare wide-eyed as the sickening sound of bones cracking could be heard… And just like that, one of them died from a broken neck!

Richard himself simply tossed the body aside as casually as it was rubbish.

As for the hunters, they were simply too stupefied to feel humiliated. After all, none of them could’ve imagined that Richard would be this powerful…

—

“…What power… What kind of monster even are you?! Regardless, we bear no grudges against you! What reason do you have to kill us?!” interrogated one of the Soul Hunters.

After all, he was right. Richard had simply attacked them out of the blue! It certainly raised quite a few questions.

“Hah! I don’t need to explain anything!” retorted Richard, finding it laughable that they even considered the possibility of him telling them his motive or his identity. That was simply impossible!

With that in mind, Richard then made his move… and in the blink of an eye, the three remaining Soul Hunters found themselves dead as well. To think that they weren’t even able to find out who Richard really was before death…

Regardless, now that all four of them were dead, Richard began searching their bodies… and eventually, he found four Soul Hunter tokens.

As the name suggested, these tokens represented their status as Soul Hunters, and anyone who was accepted into the organization would receive one. Either way, after obtaining the tokens, Richard kept them by his side before swiftly leaving the scene…

As for the four corpses, while someone would probably discover them the following morning, Richard wasn’t too worried about being a suspect. After all, he had attacked them in his Avatar form, which meant that he wouldn’t have left behind any traces of physical evidence no matter what he did.

Whatever the case was, now that he had the four tokens, Richard felt that he and his party would be able to enter the phosphorite mountain area a lot more smoothly. At the very least, the trio wouldn’t be targeted too quickly by any other Soul Hunters they bumped into.

While this was slightly underhanded, all was fair in love and war. As long as he was able to obtain the token of Demonic Blood, Richard didn’t mind doing all this.

Regardless, Richard quickly made his way back into his physical body—back at the hotel—before promptly falling asleep…

The next morning, all three of them awoke pretty early and after checking out, they instantly headed for their car. Once they were inside, Juno and Rey raised their heads as they heard Richard say, “Here, take these!”

Raising a brow, both of them then extended their hands out… only for Richard to hand a Soul Hunter token to each of them.

“…What’s this then?” asked Rey in a curious tone.

“…Soul Hunter tokens? But how? And why would you have these?” exclaimed Juno in surprise as she turned to look at Richard. Though she asked that question, she had a hunch as to why he had these.

“I bumped into the four Soul Hunters the night before and after dealing with them, I took their Soul Hunter tokens! With them, it’ll be much more convenient for us to enter the phosphorite mountain area since we won’t easily be found out by the other Soul Hunters. With any luck, we’ll be able to keep our identities concealed throughout the process!” explained Richard.

Hearing that, Juno and Rey realized that Richard had secretly taken out the competition the night before. What swift action!

“By, ‘won’t be easily found out’, do you mean to say that we should pretend to be Soul Hunters since we now have their tokens?” asked Rey for confirmation.

“Bingo. If all goes well, we should be able to achieve our goals right under the noses of the other Soul Hunters!” replied Richard with a smile.

Following that, Richard stepped on the gas and immediately began heading toward the phosphorite mountain area…

The phosphorite mountain area was quite famous in Sunset Village.

With how much phosphorite there was in the area, the locals would sell them to manufacturers who would then use the raw materials to manufacture other chemical substances. Aside from that, the phosphorite would also be sold for decorative purposes.

In short, the locals would rely on that place to obtain riches.

Whatever the case was, it was a two-hour drive from Sunset Village to their destination, and by the time they finally arrived there, it was twelve.

Seeing that they were just in time for lunch, Richard then parked his car at a parking lot before leading Rey and Juno to a restaurant…

Chapter 602

After ordering their food, Rey couldn’t help but whisper, “Did you two see all that phosphorite out there? What ungodly amounts!”

“Naturally. From what I’ve heard, the locals sell them to gain extra income. Another interesting fact that I came across is that the phosphorite is supposedly unlimited. Once an area is completely excavated, more phosphorite will simply reappear after some time! It truly is magical,” explained Richard.

“It truly is! Still, if that really is the case, then we could undoubtedly become rich just by relying on the endless phosphorite!” muttered Rey.

Hearing that, Richard and Juno could only shake their heads. As it turned out, Rey was simply thinking more about the money.

“Allow me to remind you that you’re an outsider, Rey. If you even dare touch the phosphorite, you’ll surely be beaten up by the locals in no time!” replied Richard.

Since the locals were the rightful owner of the phosphorite and they used it to gain riches, there was no

way in hell that they were going to let some random nobody take that away from them for free!

“I’m just saying!” said Rey as he chuckled in response before remaining silent.

Richard himself didn’t care much about the money. After all, he was a person who had near endless wealth, so money wasn’t really an issue for him. Besides, it wasn’t as though they were here for money in the first place. Their goal was to obtain the token of Demonic Blood.

Regardless, it wasn’t long after before a group of men donning black clothes entered the restaurant they were in… and upon realizing their presence, the trio instantly put their guard up. After all, all the men who had just entered had tattoos reminiscent of the Soul Hunters on their arms!

“…Judging from those tattoos… They’re Soul Hunters, right, Mr. Crawford…?” whispered Rey.

Nodding in response, Richard then said, “Indeed. I must say, their tattoos are a dead giveaway for people trying to lay low…”

Whatever the case was, to think that they would bump into other Soul Hunters here of all places. How unfortunate!

“Regardless, stay calm. Don’t let them find you suspicious!” added Richard.

Hearing that, Rey and Juno quickly nodded. Rey even made sure to lower his head, afraid that he would mess up and make them look over.

Either way, the food soon came and the three of them quickly began chowing down.

However, it wasn’t long before all three of them realized that the Soul Hunters were staring in their direction. What more, they appeared to be discussing something as well…

Seeing that, the anxious Rey quickly began quivering in worry as he whispered, “T-they’ve been looking at us this entire time, Mr. Crawford…! Have we been discovered? What should we do…?!”

“Again, stay calm!” replied Richard as he glared at Rey, knowing full well that panicking would only make the Soul Hunters feel even more suspicious of them.

To the party’s dismay, they soon watched as one of the Soul Hunters got up and began walking over to their table…

Stopping right by Juno’s side, the Soul Hunter completely ignored both Richard and Rey as he looked at her while asking, “Well hello there, beauty! What are you here for?”

—

“We’re just here for some minor business, mister!” replied Richard with a subtle smile as he stood up the second he saw Juno signaling for him to help.

In response, the Soul Hunter simply looked at Richard with a bleak expression before arrogantly retorting, “And who the hell are you? Can’t you see that I’m talking to her? Do you think any of this concerns you?”

Upon hearing that, Richard instantly frowned… and the next thing the Soul Hunter knew, he was already flying backward from Richard’s force palm attack!

Seeing that, the other Soul Hunters immediately got up, unsheathing their daggers at the same time as they glared at Richard.

None of them had expected Richard to make the first move. Naturally, they hadn’t anticipated him to be this strong either.

“Those aren’t ordinary people! They definitely have a reason for being here! Get them!” declared one of the Soul Hunters.

Hearing that, the other Soul Hunters instantly bolted toward Richard and his party!

Even so, Richard wasn’t worried at all. With another force palm, Richard sent a wave of energy toward the assailants, causing all of them to fall to the ground!

Now that there was room to escape, Richard immediately grabbed onto Rey and Juno’s arms before yelling, “Run!”

With that, the trio dashed out of the restaurant, unable to even find the time to pay for their meal!

By the time the Soul Hunters got back to their feet and ran out of the restaurant, Richard and his party were nowhere in sight… They had successfully driven away!

“Those b*stards! They really are extraordinary! Hurry and report this to the leader!” yelled the leader of the group.

So much for a stealthy approach… Richard and his party had been found out before the adventure even began!

Whatever the case was, Rey—who had been frightened half to death earlier—was finally able to catch his breath after panting for so long. He truly hadn’t expected Richard to just fight the other party right off the bat…

Still, now that he had regained his calmness, Rey turned to face Richard before admiringly saying, “You really are something else, Mr. Crawford! Sending so many of them flying in a single attack… It was just like watching an action movie scene!”

“While I appreciate the compliment, could you please be a bit calmer in the future…” grumbled Richard as he raised a slight eyebrow while looking at Rey.

Upon hearing that, the embarrassed and awkward Rey simply lowered his head, mumbling in agreement.

Regardless, Juno herself didn’t really blame Rey. With that in mind, she tried to switch the topic by asking, “…Either way, what should we do now, Richard? The Soul Hunters are definitely going to go after us now!”

With the mess they had just created, the alerted enemies would definitely start causing them trouble in the near future…

“Don’t worry, they still don’t have a good grasp on our identities for now! As long as we remain in the shadows while they’re doing things in public, I believe we can turn this situation into an advantageous one!” replied Richard in a calm tone.

Richard believed that the leader of the Soul Hunters wouldn’t waste too much effort on three nobodies. After all, their main target was still the token of Demonic Blood…

Not too long after, the cloaked man—whom Richard had met the day before—could be seen sitting in his tent at a campsite.

A few Soul Hunters were now standing before him—after getting his permission to enter—as one of them reported, “We bumped into three peculiar individuals in a restaurant today, leader! We know that at least one of them has extraordinary strength, and we believe that the trio aren’t regular people!”

—

Upon hearing that, the cloaked man stood up as well before asking, “What do we know about them?”

The same Soul Hunter from before then replied, “Not much, though we assume that they’re here for the token of Demonic Blood as well!”

“I see… Well, pay more attention to them from now on. If you discover the trio, then report back immediately! If they attempt to get in our way, just get rid of them!” ordered the cloaked man.

“Loud and clear, leader!” yelled the soul hunters in unison before leaving the tent…

Fast forward to nighttime, Richard and his party could be seen setting up their tents after finding flat ground. Once that was done, they started a fire and sat around it.

After a short while, Rey couldn’t help but look at Richard as he asked, “…Is… there a reason we’re camping out here…? Why didn’t we just book a hotel room…?”

Turning to face Rey, Richard then replied, “The Soul Hunters are tracking us down now, remember? Staying in a hotel would only turn us into sitting ducks!”

Hearing that, Rey quickly registered Richard’s logic. After all, if everyone from the Soul Hunter organization was here, then staying in a hotel would definitely increase their risk of being found. That, of course, would place them in an extremely dangerous situation…

Either way, a brief moment later, Rey stood up before saying, “I… uh… need to use the washroom!”

Following that, Rey then began jogging toward some bushes. Since they were in the wilderness, there really was no other way for them to relieve themselves…

Seeing that Rey was gone, Juno was prompted to say, “We’ll definitely be facing a bloody battle with the Soul Hunter organization if we’re found again, Richard…”

Richard naturally already knew that, so he simply nodded before replying, “I know. However, we don’t really have much of a choice. After all, if the Soul Hunters obtain the token, then everything will surely go haywire!”

After all, the token of Demonic Blood could be used to control all the ghosts in the world. With that in mind, if the Soul Hunters got their hands on it, then the ghosts would surely be used to conquer all of humanity! By that point, everyone would surely be done for!

Shaking his head as he thought about it, Richard then tried to change the topic by asking, “Speaking of which… You’re currently at the Sage Realm now, right?”

Nodding slightly in response, Juno then sighed before replying, “I am, though I’m already at the peak stage of that realm. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to make a breakthrough!”

Raising one’s strength to the next realm was never easy, and Juno simply didn’t have the talent that Richard had. With that in mind, all she could do was continue to train in hopes that she would be able to break through into the next realm. Sadly for her, she had already been training tirelessly for a few months by now, and the fact that she still hadn’t made any progress was certainly disheartening.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely think of a way to help you breakthrough!” said Richard as he smiled faintly while consoling her.

Hearing that, Juno then nodded, placing her full belief in Richard. He was definitely going to help her improve in the long run!

It was at that moment when both of them suddenly heard Rey shouting!

Instantly turning vigilant, both of them got up before running toward Rey’s direction!

“What’s wrong?” asked Richard as he cautiously scanned the area while running.

To their shock, Rey—who hadn’t even put his pants on properly yet—was trembling vigorously on the ground!

Looking around to see if anything had attacked him, Richard and Juno soon found it odd that they couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary…

Chapter 603

Their attention was brought back to Rey when they heard his quivering voice say, “I-it was so terrifying, Mr. Crawford…!”

Looking at Rey’s fearful expression, Richard then frowned slightly as he asked, “What is? What did you see?”

“Yeah, I mean, there doesn’t seem to be anything around…” muttered Juno who was feeling just as bewildered as Richard was.

Still, both of them were sure that whatever had scared Rey wasn’t a ghost. After all, the duo couldn’t sense the presence of ghosts at all.

“I-I’m not too sure either… But just as I got up after doing my business, I suddenly felt a cool breeze blow past me… But… then…” muttered Rey who was now shaking so much that he couldn’t even finish his sentence.

“…Then what?” asked Richard.

“…W-well… When I turned around and looked up… I saw a pair of bloodshot eyes staring right back at me…! I-It was so terrifying…!” stuttered Rey as he recalled the incident he had witnessed.

Upon hearing that, the duo instinctively looked up… but even after scanning around again, neither of them was able to see anything that Rey had just described. All there was up there was the crescent moon…

“…You sure it wasn’t a trick of your eyes? I don’t think either of us see anything like that…” asked Richard as he looked at Rey with a slightly raised brow.

Shaking his head, Rey then determinedly replied, “I swear on my life, Mr. Crawford and Miss Zorn! I’m not joking around here! There really were a pair of bloodshot eyes!”

Seeing how sure he appeared, Richard and Juno knew that he wasn’t playing around. Adding that to the fact that Rey was trembling so much, he must have really bumped into something exceedingly terrifying…

“…Got it. Regardless, don’t worry, I’m here now. Nothing will happen to you! That aside… Pull up your pants already!” said Richard as he firmly patted Rey’s shoulder.

After hearing that statement, Rey looked down… before turning to look at Richard and Juno again. It took him a second, but when it finally set in that his boxers were in full view this entire time, Rey’s face instantly reddened as he quickly pulled his pants up.

Seeing that, Richard then consoled Rey again by adding, “Alright, let’s head back to our tents first. If you need to do your business again later, I’ll keep you company!”

Understanding that Rey had undergone a major shock, this was the only way Richard could think of that could slightly put Rey at ease. Even so, he knew that his words didn’t help much since Rey still looked so terrified. The image of the glowing red eyes must have imprinted itself into his mind by this point…

Knowing that staying out here for any longer definitely wouldn’t help, Richard then led Juno and Rey back to their tents….

Once they were there, Richard got out some warm alcohol and poured a cup for Rey.

“Here! Let’s drink that horrible memory away!” said Richard.

Compared to the much more experienced Richard, Rey was just a fresh university graduate. Due to that, he barely had any experience with the real world, yet here he was. Out here on an adventure with Richard. With that in mind, Richard knew that it was his responsibility to take care of Rey since he was the one who dragged him into this in the first place.

Regardless, Rey took the cup with his still trembling hands before replying, “…Thank you, Mr. Crawford!”

With how frightened Rey still was, Richard couldn’t help but feel slightly worried that the ghost was still lingering around. While he did do a quick scan through the area, it was far too dark by this point to clearly discern anything…

Whatever the case was, after downing the hot alcohol, Rey appeared much more relaxed than before. At the very least, he wasn’t trembling anymore.

Looking at Rey, Richard then asked in a concerned tone, “Feeling better…?”

—

Nodding slightly in response, Rey then replied, “Very much so…”

Hearing that, Richard couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, as Richard turned to face Rey again—about to say something else—, both he and Juno realized that Rey was staring wide-eyed at something behind them…

It was also at that moment when the duo sensed the presence of another being nearby… Something was definitely amiss…!

“B-behind you two…!” yelled Rey, prompting Richard and Juno to dodge to the side, making sure to drag Rey to safety as well.

The second they were far enough from their tents, all three of them watched as a black figure leaped high into the air… before landing right atop their campfire and putting it out!

Now engulfed in darkness, the terrified Rey yelled, “T-that’s what I saw earlier! I’m sure of it…!”

As if wanting to prove Rey’s point, a pair of beady bloodshot eyes gleamed in the darkness at that moment… and they were staring right at Richard and his party!

“What the hell is that creature…?!” asked Juno as she furrowed her brows.

Watching as Rey shook his head, clearly unsure of what it was, Richard then ordered, “Whatever the case is, disperse! Standing together will only make it easier for it to attack all of us at the same time! Also, get the torchlight in your bag, Juno! I have an idea!”

“Copy that!” replied Juno.

“As for you, Rey! Go find someplace to hide while I deal with this thing!” added Richard.

Richard didn’t need to say that twice. After all, Rey wasn’t about to stay anywhere near that terrifying thing! Besides, he knew that he would only get in Richard’s way if he stayed here.

With that in mind, Rey then nodded vigorously before the trio dispersed!

The bloodshot eyes themselves immediately began bolting in Richard’s direction!

Realizing that the creature was exceedingly fast and was already quite close to him, Richard successfully dodged its charge attack before yelling, “Any time now, Juno! Light this place up already!”

“Got it!” shouted Juno as she shone a blinding light in the direction of the bloodshot eyes!

After Juno tossed another torchlight to Richard—which he easily caught—, Richard turned his on as well, and with two bright lights shining on the eyes, the trio could finally see what their assailant was…

It was a tusked wild boar! As if its tusks didn’t already look intimidating enough, its entire body was layered with sharp spikes as well!

Staring wide-eyed, none of them had anticipated to bump into such a ferocious beast here!

Regardless, all three of them knew that wild boars were very aggressive, and if one was hungry, it would attack anything it perceived as food… Apparently, they were on its menu!

Either way, all of them snapped out of it the moment the boar began charging toward Juno almost maniacally!

Seeing that, Richard instantly yelled, “Careful, Juno! Turn the torchlight off!”

—

“Stay back and let me deal with it!” added Richard as he quickly turned to face the boar that was now charging in his direction instead since Juno had switched her torchlight off.

Watching as the sharp-tusked boar opened its mouth wide—clearly aiming to chomp down on Richard—Richard knew that a single bite from it could either kill a regular person, or at the very least, maim them.

Naturally, with that in mind, Richard wasn’t about to allow the boar to do that.

Dodge rolling to the side, Richard then summoned the Astrabyss Sword. Though the sword’s main purpose was to deal with ghosts, Richard believed that it would still hurt as a regular weapon.

Regardless, though the wild boar definitely looked ferocious, its humongous body made it quite slow and inflexible. As a result, it was unable to fully stop after Richard dodged its attack, and it ended up ramming right into a large tree!

As a sea of leaves fluttered to the ground upon the boar’s impact, Richard knew that it was now or never.

Leaping into the air, Richard then rapidly began descending, aiming his sword for the boar’s back!

“Die!” roared Richard as he plunged the blade into the boar’s back before slicing it open with immense force!

With blood already gushing out from its back, the pained boar let out a massive roar that resonated across the entire forest…! To think that the peace and quiet of night would suddenly be disrupted by such a terrifying cry…

Whatever the case was, when its cry finally died down, the boar flopped to the ground, dead. Since Richard had only needed to use a single move to finish it, in a way, the boar wasn’t all that difficult an enemy to deal with.

Either way, upon realizing that Richard had killed the wild boar, Rey breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed now as he stepped out from behind the tree that he had been hiding behind…

Together with Juno, the duo then walked toward Richard and stared at the massive boar’s corpse…

Feeling that the boar was even larger than he had first imagined, Rey couldn’t help but exclaim, “My god! What a massive boar!”

Richard and Juno had to agree.

“…Well, as they say, good meat shouldn’t be wasted! I guess we now know what’s for dinner! In case you’re worried, wild boar meat is pretty good!” replied Richard with a smile as he began using the Astrabyss Sword to slice off a large chunk of meat off the wild boar.

As Richard had said, they hadn’t had their dinner yet, and he was glad that they hadn’t. After all, he—of all people—knew that wild boar meat tasted superb!

Ironically enough, the wild boar was now getting eaten even though it was the one on the hunt for food… While the experience was definitely a frightening one, none of them were complaining since their dinner had essentially come to them.

Regardless, Richard quickly relit the bonfire before starting to roast the meat over the fire…

Soon enough, a sweet scent began waffling around, causing Rey’s mouth to water as he stared at the roasting meat while saying, “This is going to be my first time tasting wild boar!”

Disregarding Rey’s comment, Richard paused for a moment before asking in an inquisitive tone, “…Tell me, Rey, do you know what a cultivator is…?”

“…A cultivator…? Is it an item of sorts…?” asked Rey curiously.

Chapter 604

Rolling his eyes in response, Richard then helplessly explained, “It isn’t even an object… Look, cultivators are people who deal with and keep ghosts and spirits under control…”

“…Huh? So, like… Ghost hunters or something? Like those on television?” asked Rey.

“More or less. Either way, if you didn’t already know, Miss Zorn and I are cultivators!” replied Richard with a nod.

Since Rey had been with them for a while now, Richard figured that it would be better if he knew about things like these. What more, Richard was honestly considering turning Rey into a cultivator as well.

After all, if Rey became a cultivator, then instead of fearing everything, he could instead start dealing with dangers on his own. Richard, for one, was well aware that he and Juno couldn’t remain by his side to protect him his entire life. The thought of it alone was completely unrealistic!

“…H-huh? Both of you are… cultivators…?” asked the now wide-eyed Rey.

Exchanging glances with Juno, Richard and her then smiled before nodding toward Rey.

“Indeed, we are. Now, my question is… Would you like to become one as well?” asked Richard.

“…What? I can be one too?” said Rey, excitement in his eyes as he stared at the duo before him. To think that he was being given a chance to be a cultivator! How wonderful!

Rey, for one, had always dreamed of possessing martial arts skills as great as Richard’s. If he successfully

became a cultivator, then no longer would he need to rely on Richard for protection…

Smiling at Rey’s response, Richard then replied, “Of course you can! Miss Zorn and I can definitely teach you the ropes!”

“I… then, yes! I wish to become a cultivator, Mr. Crawford!” declared the excited Rey.

“Very well, then. From today onward, I’ll be your master and I’ll teach you the ways of becoming a cultivator!” replied Richard, officially making Rey his disciple.

“Thank you for taking me under your wing, master!” shouted Rey, immediately changing how he addressed Richard as he knelt to the ground.

Before Rey could kowtow, however, Richard quickly pulled him back up while saying, “Look, while I’ve accepted you to be my disciple, you don’t have to do this. I can’t stand people kneeling before me out of the blue!”

Hearing that, Rey then grinned sheepishly, realizing that he was behaving like a person from ancient times.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Richard then added, “Alright, settle down. Either way, the meat looks cooked enough so let’s dig in already!”

Upon hearing that, the trio then began chowing down on their dinner…

“I never thought that wild boar would taste this fresh and delicious! It’s arguably even more delicious than ordinary pork!” exclaimed Rey after taking a bite.

True to Rey’s words, wild boar was much tastier and had higher quality in general compared to regular pork meat.

“Speaking of which, slice some more meat off the boar later and wrap it up in a bag. We’ll be eating boar for the entirety of tomorrow and possibly even the day after!” said Richard.

Honestly, if they had a way to easily carry the large wild boar around, they’d surely be able to sell it for a lot. Richard, for one, had certainly considered the idea. Unfortunately, carrying such a huge corpse around was simply too much. With that in mind, the best course of action was to just take a small portion of it for meals.

It wouldn’t be a waste either since the carcass would surely be enough to feed many other animals in the forest…

—

It was late into the night when the three of them finally decided to return to their tents to sleep.

Due to the wild boar incident, all three of them shared a tent. That way, they could increase the odds of them sensing danger and allow them to assist each other if they were attacked.

Thankfully, all was quiet that night, and the trio woke up early the next morning.

Leaving the tent as soon as he got up, Richard realized that there were already a number of birds feasting on the wild boar’s carcass, with most of them being eagles and vultures. Richard paid them no notice, and instead began packing up.

It was around nine when all three of them were up and ready to continue on their journey into the depths of the forest…

According to Old Flint’s map, walking past the phosphorite mountain area would allow them to accomplish their second step. Of course, that was easier said than done.

After all, not only was the phosphorite mountain extremely vast, but the trio had no idea what kinds of dangers awaited them there as well. With that in mind, they could only hope that they were prepared enough to face whatever obstacles they came across.

Up till this point, they already had to deal with the massive boar and the Soul Hunters… What a dangerous place…

Regardless, it was about two hours later when the trio finally came across a stream. With that, they then decided to replenish their water supply and take a short rest while they were at it.

Now sitting atop a flat stone, Juno found herself asking, “Say… Do you have any idea how much longer we’ll need to walk, Richard…?”

Shaking his head, Richard then replied, “Not at all… Based on Old Flint’s map, all I know is that we’ll need to walk past the phosphorite mountain area… Sadly, the map doesn’t really specify how huge the area is…”

Just as they were wondering how large the area really was, an arrow suddenly flew past all three of

them!

Immediately turning to face the direction the arrow shot out from, the trio was greeted by the sight of a few men—donning black clothes—with crossbows in hand!

“Soul Hunters!” yelled Richard as he instantly held onto Juno and Rey’s arms before bolting away with them.

The Soul Hunters themselves instantly began shooting volley after volley of crossbow bolts. It almost felt like it was raining arrows!

Thankfully, the trio managed to take cover in the forest.

“Dmn it! How do we keep bumping into those bstards! How unlucky!” grumbled Rey.

“Please don’t forget that the entire Soul Hunter organization is here. Since they’ve been divided into several small groups, it’s pretty much inevitable that we’ll constantly bump into them while we’re here!” explained Richard.

Regardless, once they were sure that the Soul Hunters had lost track of them, all three of them couldn’t help but sigh in relief before resuming their journey…

After what had just happened, the trio found that it was safer to simply use the forest path instead of walking by the side of the stream.

Compared to walking in an open area—which would allow them to be easily found and attacked—, traveling within the forest would make them harder to spot. What more, there was also plenty of cover

in the forest, making escape much more plausible there.

Whatever the case was, it was about half an hour later when they finally found a home in the middle of the forest.

“…Say, do you see that, master? To think that people would actually live out here in the middle of nowhere!” exclaimed Rey.

—

Richard and Juno appeared equally as surprised as Rey was. After all, who in the right mind would live this deep in the forest? It truly was mind-boggling.

After a short pause, Richard then said, “…Well, since there’s someone living here, we may as well ask them if they know how much further we’ll need to walk!”

Nodding in agreement, the duo then began following Richard’s lead as they walked toward the house…

However, they quickly found themselves retreating into bushes again when they realized that a few Soul Hunters were also walking toward that house!

After knocking on the door, what appeared to be the house’s owner opened it… and before he could even react, the Soul Hunters immediately rushed in!

Following that, horrified screams filled the air!

Hearing all the terror from inside that house, Richard and the others quickly exchanged glances. The Soul Hunters were definitely there to eliminate that family… How inhumane!

Unable to bear the screams anymore, Juno found herself pleading, “Richard, let’s help them! The Soul Hunters have really gone over the line this time…!”

Upon hearing that, Richard nodded before turning to face Rey and saying, “Hide here while we resolve the issue, alright, Rey? Don’t make a move until we return!”

Of course, Rey wasn’t about to go against Richard’s orders, so he quickly hid in some nearby bushes.

Seeing that, Richard and Juno bolted toward the house! The second they arrived at the now open door, they were immediately greeted by the sight of a murdered couple lying in a puddle of their own blood…

The sight of that instantly infuriated the duo. For the Soul Hunters to do such inhumane acts… They truly were worse than beasts!

“You utter b*stards…!” roared the angered Juno.

At that moment, both of them heard a screaming girl coming from deeper inside the house.

“H-help me…!” screamed the desperate-sounding girl.

Wasting no time, Richard and Juno then rushed toward the source of the voice…

Realizing that there were a few Soul Hunters standing in their way, Richard immediately summoned the Astrabyss Sword before expertly slicing all of their necks in one swift slash!

As the Soul Hunters began choking on their own blood, Juno herself continued running toward the source of all the screaming. Soon enough, she entered the room where the terrified screams originated from… And she was greeted by the sight of a Soul Hunter forcefully pinning himself atop a plainly dressed girl!

Now brimming with fury, Juno instantly stabbed the disgusting man’s back before yanking him off the girl!

Since Juno was a cultivator, she was way stronger than these puny Soul Hunters. With that in mind, she easily lifted the human trash off the ground… and without the slightest hesitation, she sliced his neck!

Unable to even react, the man died almost instantaneously in Juno’s hands…

And just like that, the duo had gotten rid of all the Soul Hunters who had raided the house.

With the issue now resolved, Juno then began walking over to the frightened girl before sitting next to her… As she placed a hand over the poor girl’s shoulder, however, the girl instantly began screaming frantically as she instinctively curled up into a ball!

Heartbroken by the girl’s state of mind, Juno then slowly embraced her while saying, “It’s alright now… You’re saved…! It’s all going to be alright…”

It took a while, but after Juno’s constant reassurance, the girl finally managed to calm down slightly… However, now that the fear was gone, sadness instantly set in, and within Juno’s embrace, the girl began shedding tears, her wails resonating across the entire house…

Chapter 605

Her cries only made Juno’s heart ache even more. Richard himself could only shake his head as he slowly walked out of the room…

Stepping out, Richard then signaled for Rey—who was still hiding—to come over.

Seeing that, Rey then quickly made his way toward the house… But the second he saw how bloody it was now inside, he instantly dashed out again to puke his guts out! Since this was the first time he had seen such fresh corpses, it was undoubtedly a great shock to him…

Knowing that, Richard couldn’t really blame Rey for his reaction. After all, Richard himself was only this nonchalant toward the dead since he was used to seeing corpses by this point. With that in mind, Rey’s tolerance toward sights like these would surely rise the more corpses he witnessed in future.

Regardless, it was some time later when Rey finally gathered the courage to look at the corpses again. Once Richard made sure he was fine, the duo then got to work burying the corpses. Naturally, they buried the girl’s parents separately.

Once they were done, Rey couldn’t help but growl, “Those people… they’re inhumane…!”

While Richard didn’t reply, his solemn expression did the talking for him.

True to Rey’s words, the Soul Hunters truly were ruthless to be able to do such brutal acts…

After witnessing all this, Rey was now more determined than ever to become a cultivator. By working hard, he would hopefully be able to prevent scenes like these from happening…

It was at that moment when Richard raised his head… and floating before him now, were two spirits…

After staring at them for a while, Richard cleared his throat before righteously declaring, “…Sir and madam… Since you were killed by those people, I’ll bestow punishment on them! I’ll make sure they can’t undergo reincarnation! With that in mind, please rest in peace…”

The two spirits were obviously the girl’s parents, and after hearing what Richard said, the duo then vanished into thin air…

Though he didn’t express it, Richard was honestly feeling relieved. After all, now that they had passed on in peace, they wouldn’t end up turning into evil spirits…

Either way, now that they were gone, Richard drew the Astrabyss Sword before starting to mutter some odd incantations…

The spell Richard was chanting was known as Soul Eater, and casting it enabled him to completely exterminate villainous spirits. As Richard had earlier said, any spirits caught within the punishing spell wouldn’t be able to be reincarnated…

While Richard rarely used the spell, he knew he had to use it on the dead Soul Hunters. After all, they deserved this punishment, and Richard wasn’t about to let them die in peace and escape judgment.

Only their souls’ annihilation would make Richard feel that he hadn’t let the girl’s parents down…

With the chanting complete, Richard then yelled, “Soul Eater!”

The second he shouted that out, the spirits of the Soul Hunters immediately merged into a white orb or light…

“Exterminate!” yelled Richard again as he slashed right into the orb of light, causing it to shatter into pieces!

And with that, the punishment was complete. No longer would their souls continue to exist, and they would be incapable of reincarnating anymore…

Witnessing all that Richard had done, Rey—who had been watching intently from the back—couldn’t help but feel that it was all very magical. It certainly made him pumped to become a cultivator who was as powerful as Richard one day.

Whatever the case was, now that all this was done, Richard then returned to the room where Juno and the girl were in…

At first glance, the girl had completely calmed down by this point. Even so, she appeared reluctant to say a word… From what Richard could tell, she was still in a state of shock…

Upon realizing Richard’s presence, Juno immediately pleaded, “Richard…! Please, help her…!”

Getting what Juno was trying to get him to do, Richard then asked, “…You’re suggesting me to do ‘that’? Are you sure?”

Hearing Richard’s question, Juno turned to look at the girl… before closing her eyes and nodding as she said, “…I’m sure. I don’t want her to live in despair for as long as she lives…!”

—

From how serious Juno’s gaze was, Richard could tell how much she wanted to help the girl. With that in mind, Richard then replied, “…Very well, then!”

Not understanding what the duo was going on about, Rey could only continue staring at them with curious eyes…

Richard himself began walking toward the girl… before gently placing a finger on her forehead. The second he released his finger, a tiny orb of light was drawn out from the girl’s forehead…

Following that, the orb began circling the girl’s head… First slowly, then faster… and faster… until eventually, it completely disappeared.

Confused, Rey was prompted to ask, “…What… was that, master…?”

“He just removed her memory… A good chunk of it in fact… Still, it’s better for her in the long run as long as she can forget all that’s happened today…” explained Juno.

Upon hearing that, Rey was immediately shocked. To think that there existed skills to remove one’s

memories…

“…Regardless, the process will also cause her lifespan to shorten, though we don’t exactly know how many years have been taken away from her… Only time will tell…” added Juno.

As with everything in life, there were pros and cons to everything… While the girl was now free of her painful memories, her lifespan had now been decreased. One could only call it the law of equivalent exchange…

Still, ignorance was bliss. As long as the girl could live happily after this, the exchange would be worth it…

Either way, it wasn’t long after before the girl regained consciousness…

Looking at Juna and the other two, the confused girl couldn’t help but ask, “…Who… are you people…?”

“…Ah, you fainted earlier so we saved you!” replied Juno with a smile.

“…Oh? Is that so? I… can’t remember fainting…” muttered the girl as she tried to remember what had happened before… Of course, there was nothing to remember since her memories had been erased.

“Whatever the case is, it’s great that you’re doing fine… Could you tell us your name…?” asked Juno as her smile widened, feeling much more assured now.

Upon hearing that, the girl instantly frowned. What was her name?

Even after thinking for quite a while, she simply couldn’t recall what it was. Shaking her head, the vexed girl then replied, “…I… I can’t remember…”

Hearing that, Richard then turned to look at Juno.

Both of them were well aware that there existed a possibility of forgetting quite a bit after undergoing the memory-erasing process… It appeared that the girl had picked the short end of the stick.

“…Do you know where you are?” asked Juno.

Shaking her head, the girl then replied, “No idea… I don’t know where this place is at all…!”

Unable to remember her name or even her own home, it was clear that the girl truly had forgotten everything…

—

The memory erasure technique truly was something else…

Whatever the case was, Richard then turned to look at Rey before ordering, “…Go see if you can find any books or ID cards belonging to her.”

“Roger that!” replied Rey as he instantly began searching around the house.

It wasn’t long after before Rey managed to find a book with her name written on it…

Handing the book to Richard, Rey then said, “Master, I think I’ve found it! Her name should be Yrsa!”

Taking the book from Rey, Richard then looked at it before handing it to the girl and saying, “…Yeah, your name appears to be Yrsa!”

Now holding onto the book, the girl couldn’t help but furrow her brows, a clear indication that she didn’t even recognize the book.

Vexed out of her mind, Yrsa then began shaking her head again as she replied, “…I really can’t remember if that’s really the case…”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll come back to you one day…” consoled Juno.

“I hope so… Still, who are all of you…?” asked Juno in a curious tone.

“…We’re… your good friends! While you may not remember us, it’s fine since we still remember you,” lied Richard as naturally as he breathed.

Yrsa herself didn’t appear to doubt Richard’s words. After all, Yrsa was currently nothing more than a blank slate. Since she knew nothing, the only thing she could do was believe what everyone else told her…

Besides, as she thought about it, she figured that the trio couldn’t be villains since they did claim to have saved her…

Her train of thought was cut short when Richard suddenly asked, “Yrsa… Are you willing to live with us from now on…?”

While she was understandably shocked to hear that, Yrsa eventually nodded as she replied, “…I am. After all, I can’t remember anything… You’re the only people I know and trust at the moment!”

Hearing that, the three of them breathed sighs of relief. Since she was willing to come along with them, they could at least ensure that she was properly taken care of…

“…Very well, then! Come, let’s clean up a bit and get out of here!” declared Richard, understanding that the place they were currently in wasn’t particularly safe.

If the previous Soul Hunters could find this place, then other Soul Hunters would definitely be able to find it as well. With that in mind, the sooner they left, the better.

After quickly packing up, the four of them then left the area…

Naturally, Richard didn’t mention anything about Yrsa’s parents. After all, ignorance was bliss. The poor girl didn’t need to remember such a painful incident, especially after Richard had to decrease her lifespan just to make her forget…

Regardless, as the four began venturing into the forest, a Soul Hunter could be seen running toward a tent—that was located at the Soul Hunter’s campsite—quite a distance away…

Upon entering, the Soul Hunter instantly reported, “L-leader! We’ve lost contact with the seventh squad!”

“What? How many people were in that squad?” asked the cloaked man who had been sitting in the tent befo