Humans fear many things.
Darkness, insects, animals, the depths of the ocean… Death, hunger, disease.
But in this age, what people feared most could be summarized in a single word: Monsters.
It had been raining since they boarded the ship. No one knew how much longer the journey would take. The sky was gray, the sea pitch black; the rusty iron groaned as waves crashed against the ship's hull.
Eren was sitting on the side of the ship. His face was pale, his stomach had already rebelled. He was too sick to speak from vomiting.
Dean, under the rain, was helping the crew by holding onto the deck, occasionally turning to Eren and teasing him:
Dean: "In this state, you're fighting your own stomach, not the trial."
Kayra slapped Eren's back,
Kayra: "Almost there, be patient. Captain, how much longer until we reach land?" he shouted.
The Captain answered from behind the helm.
Captain: "If the wind changes direction, we'll arrive by morning! But we can't dock directly at the island! The rocks will tear the ship apart!"
At these words, the murmur on the ship increased. Everyone was aware: they would reach the island, but they had to cover the last few kilometers by boat.
At the first light of dawn, land appeared. The fog was like a thin curtain separating the sea and the sky. "Moon Eye Island." The Captain's voice trembled. Captain: "Very few who go there return. They send young children to their deaths every year. The trial is much harsher than it should be."
The boats were lowered. Eren, Dean, Rowan, and Mira boarded the same boat. The other candidates began to board the remaining boats. Each ship carried 5 boats and 5 teams. There were 6 ships visible. Most likely, a few more would come.
The waves had grown rougher. With each stroke of the oar, the boat shook, and grumbling sounds could be heard from the depths of the sea. Rowan spoke quietly:
"There's a strange sound."
Dean looked back.
"Yes, there is. The lake is trying to act like a stormy ocean. That's its sound."
Then, something inexplicable suddenly happened. The bottom of one of the boats suddenly collapsed. A scream echoed. The water foamed. A pair of colossal, blue eyes appeared from beneath the waves.
Lake Serpent.
It bit another boat with its massive mouth. It tore the boat apart with teeth as sharp as knives, dragging the falling candidates underwater. The sea turned dark with blood.
Eren pulled at the oar, his voice hoarse:
"Dean, fast! Faster!"
Dean rowed with all his might, his arms strained.
"Minute 1, goal 1, what the hell is this. I don't even know if it's breathing, but it definitely hates us!"
Kayra's boat was a few meters away. Eren glanced — Kayra and his team had miraculously managed to reach the shore.
Then thunder rumbled. A wave hit the boat. Eren and Dean's boat was also thrown towards the shore. With a final impact, they stopped, crashing into the sand.
When they looked back, the lake surface seemed undisturbed. But something was still breathing beneath the water.
Eren crawled towards the shore, violently coughing. He was vomiting and gagging from the swallowed seawater. After this continued for a while, he tried to stand up, but fell back down, his feet tangled in seaweed. As Eren tried to free his feet from the seaweed, Dean had already stood up and was heading towards his weapon belt, which had flown off when they crashed. When he reached the belt, he pulled out a spear and plunged its sharp tip into the sand, leaning on it.
Rowan reached for the bag where he kept his magic crystals and pulled it to his chest, looking at the staff in his hand; the magic crystal at its tip was cracked, held together by the metal casing around it. Mira lay motionless on the ground, knowing this was just the beginning, probably why she was lying there breathing rapidly.
Rowan: "Eren, Dean! We have a problem!"
Dean: "Damn, we just set foot on the island, what happened?!"
Rowan: "My staff's magic crystal is broken, it will take some time to repair."
Dean looked at Eren. Eren was also looking at Dean. Dean's teeth were clenched, his eyes wide like saucers, his pupils trembling. Fear and anger were so etched on his face that if you didn't know what was happening and looked at Dean, you would feel the same thing he felt. Eren's situation was no different from Dean's. Then both of them turned to Rowan.
Rowan: "Okay, calm down. I can still cast spells without the staff. This will only prevent me from casting high-level spells, and our magic crystals are still in the bag."
Eren seemed a little relieved.
Eren: "I forgot that magic could be cast without a staff. I was so scared for a moment."
There was no decrease in the fear on Dean's face, but he was still trying to calm himself.
Dean: "We're definitely going to die."
Mira: "He said to calm down, he can still cast big spells."
Dean clenched his teeth in anger. He put his hands on his waist, shaking his head as he began to speak:
"Listen! The hierarchy of combat spells is simple — minor spell, major spell, high spell, saint-level spell. That's it. Anything above that doesn't concern us right now."
He pointed his finger at Rowan.
"Rowan broke the crystal in his staff. That means he can no longer use any high-level spells or above. Normally, major spells would be more than enough against the creatures we'd encounter on this island… but now we don't even have that."
Eren was about to interject, but Dean raised his hand:
"Stop! I know what you're going to say — 'Hunters can cast spells even without a staff!' right?
True, hunters can take down creatures with minor spells even without a staff. But Rowan is not a hunter."
His voice grew a little harsher.
"Because Rowan drank that ridiculous 'river-something' elixir, he can only cast water magic for a limited time.
Hunters undergo years of rigorous training. They can control and amplify their spells even without a staff. Rowan didn't receive that training! He can only direct his magic with incantations, meaning no matter how hard he tries, the spells he casts — especially without his staff — won't do much damage! On top of that, due to the broken staff, the energy he expends triples. So every time he casts a spell, he's killing himself even more."
Dean took a short breath, continuing without lowering his tone:
"A group of hunters is led by a mage.
Let's say we encounter a large horde of creatures — Mira can handle a few on her own, her traps work.
Eren takes down the strong ones with his long-range shooting.
I tear apart those who approach.
But the mage's role is completely different.
The mage directs the team, dealing direct damage to creatures.
The mage's one fireball is worth ten bullets from a marksman."
He remained silent for a while, then added in a more serious tone:
"And if the team's mage is harmed… that team has two options left: either resist until support arrives, or retreat by protecting their mage."
After Dean's speech, for a few minutes, only the howling of the wind and the sound of falling rain could be heard. The team hesitated to move, but staying there was also impossible.
Eren: "Okay, what's done is done, there's nothing we can do. Our goal hasn't changed. Now we need to protect ourselves from the rain until evening."
Dean took a deep breath, lifted his head. The fear on his face disappeared, and his usual confident expression returned.
Dean: "Yes, we really need to protect ourselves from the rain. For now, let's not split up, follow me."
Dean walked in front. Eren and Rowan followed. Mira was at the back, clutching her backpack tightly. The rain covered the forest like a gray curtain.
With every step, mud splashed up to their knees, and the air grew heavy with the smell of wet earth and moss.
Dean pointed forward with his hand.
Dean: "There."
There was a giant root protrusion among the trees, the underside of the root was almost like a cave.
Eren: "This will do us for now."
Mira: "I'll set traps. At least we'll hear if someone approaches."
Rowan crouched, placed the broken staff in front of him, and took out his magic crystals from his bag.
Rowan: "I'll stabilize the crystals. For now, it will only be enough for minor spells."
Dean: "Just blow up as much as you can. We'll handle the rest."
The rain had not stopped.
Night slowly passed in this small shelter deep in the forest. No one could truly sleep.
Three days, apart from the weak monsters that appeared at night, passed relatively calmly.
The wind no longer brought rain, but the air was still humid.
The team had almost turned the temporary camp into a regular base.
Mira's traps were spread around, Rowan's charms had drawn a protective circle around the camp.
Dean had built a small wall of stones, and Eren had made hooks from tree branches to hang fresh meat.
It was early evening. As the sun set, a hum rose from within the forest.
Eren instinctively turned his head.
Shadows stirred in the darkness.
Dean gripped his spear.
Dean: "Get ready. We're not alone."
Mira immediately spoke in a low voice.
Mira: "They're about to enter the trap line…"
A second later, a "snap" sound was heard — one of Mira's traps had been triggered.
A scream echoed.
Rowan jumped to his feet. His eyes sparkled over the crystals.
Rowan: "They've entered the magic field!"
Rowan opened his palm, three small crystals glowed in his hand.
He held his breath, words spilling from his lips:
"Burning spirits, come to my command with the breath of flame — fireball!"
One of the crystals cracked, a red light exploded.
A wave of hot air swept through the forest.
A shadow that burst from among the trees was thrown to the ground by the impact of the fireball — its skin was gray underneath, its teeth long and thin, its eyes turned into a red dot.
Dean stepped forward, looking at his spear and then his meteor hammer, he gripped his spear and smiled.
Dean: "Vampires."
Three more silhouettes appeared in the darkness.
Rowan's face paled.
Rowan: "There are four of them… all four are coming!"
Dean: "Then we'll cut all four of them down."
Eren began to grin like a cooked head.
Eren: "Friends, I have a personal issue with these bloodsuckers. I want to fight one of them on my own."
The events of that day began to flash before his eyes.
He reached for his revolver.
Eren: "No, I don't want to use you this time."
After putting down his revolver, he drew Lunar from its scabbard with his right hand in one swift motion.
Eren: "You've been itching to come out of your scabbard since I got you, let's see what you can do. Friends, the one in the middle is mine. He seems stronger than the others."
Vampire leader: "The confidence of these hunter candidates is starting to get annoying. Hey Bage, how many candidates have you killed?"
The vampire called Bage began to laugh.
Bage: "I killed 5 on my own."
The vampire leader turned to the other two vampires.
Vampire leader: "Ello, Axer, how many did you kill?"
The two, in turn: "I killed 4. I cut down 6."
Vampire leader: "I cut down 10 of you with my own hands. As you can see, you foolish weak humans are being annihilated here."
Dean, holding his spear with both hands, was coming towards Eren.
Dean: "Did you really think that would scare us? We are the strongest team on this island. At the end of the day, we will be the ones to decide who gets scared. Friends, let's tear these bloodsuckers apart!"
Eren swung his sword and started running at full speed. Immediately to his right was Dean, to his left at the back was Rowan. Mira was coming from the very back. The vampire leader easily parried the attack by pulling back to Eren's right. Eren landed on his feet, crouching on his toes. Then he remembered the vampire's attack on Luna and Sahra that day. The vampire was about to do the same to Eren, but Eren dodged at the last moment and jumped to the right, delivering a deep cut to the vampire's abdomen.
Eren: "You trust your regeneration ability so much that you almost don't pay attention to any attack."
Vampire leader: "You're right about that, kid, but if you think such a small cut can stop me, you're mistaken."
After his words, the vampire started running towards Eren and suddenly disappeared. The moment he reappeared, he punched Eren in the liver so hard that it sounded like a gun had been fired. Eren was thrown several meters forward and suddenly became unable to move.
Vampire leader: "The little brat gave me too much trouble."
Dean began to clench his teeth when he saw Eren on the ground. He plunged his spear into the abdomen of the vampire named Bage in front of him and ran towards the vampire leader.
Vampire leader: "Another brat. Well, he's not stronger than the other one."
Dean began to grin after these words from the vampire leader. He took his spear in his right hand and threw it like a javelin. The spear plunged into the spot where Eren had cut. Dean and the vampire leader made eye contact. Dean parried an attack aimed at his neck at the last moment. He gripped his meteor hammer with his left hand and struck the vampire's head with all his might.
Dean: "I'm sorry, but I'm stronger than Eren."
Dean pulled his spear out of the vampire's abdomen. As he swung his spear again, the vampire he had initially fought suddenly ran towards Dean and attacked his abdomen. Although Dean tried to parry, he was wounded in the left side of his abdomen and was bleeding. At that moment, Rowan appeared, his staff in hand; it wasn't fully repaired, but Rowan was determined to use it.
Rowan: "Dean! Get away from there!"
After saying that, he took out small magic crystals from his pocket.
Rowan: "Ring of Burning Fuel."
As he said that, a ring of fire formed. He made a sign with his right hand, and the ring of flame began to fly towards the two vampires. As the ring of flame hit them, the vampires caught fire. Rowan pulled his staff.
Rowan: "Spirits of water, spirits of the sea, spirits of the lake, spirits of rain, give me your power—cataracta de caelo cadens! Waterfall falling from the sky!"
Rowan's nose began to bleed, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground. Then thunder rumbled. The vampires had just extinguished themselves. Then it started raining heavily. A colossal shadow formed, and a massive body of water fell upon the vampires. The sound was so loud that it was as if a meteor had fallen or an earthquake had occurred. A lake formed in the middle of the battlefield. Just as Dean thought they had won, another vampire arrived from afar.
Dean: Is there really more? Wait! Where's the other one, where did he disappear? There should have been 4 of them.
There was a movement on the water, and Dean saw the vampire leader at that moment. He was crawling out of the water. The new vampire came next to the leader.
Ello: "Leader, we completed the mission, we even have one casualty, let's go back now, we achieved our goal."
The vampire leader was very angry; his right arm was torn off from the shoulder. He suddenly began to shout.
Vampire leader: "After what they did to me, I won't let any of these brats escape."
The vampire leader, clutching his severed arm with his other hand, howled. His voice shook the forest.
"You stupid brats… I hate you all! ALL OF YOU—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Dean took his chained meteor hammer onto his shoulder. He began to walk with slow steps. With each step, mud splashed, and the sound of metal mingled with the thunder. Dean plunged his spear into the ground, and the shaft of the spear vibrated. As the chain around his waist unraveled, the sound of metal echoed.
His eyes were no longer like human eyes. There was a green glow flickering in the light. It was as if green vein-like lines formed and glowed on his body. He gripped the chain. He slowly dragged the hammer on the ground, then raised his head and looked at the vampires.
Dean: "You wanted to play with me, didn't you?"
Vampire leader snarled, hitting the ground with his remaining hand. Shadows like black veins erupted from the ground.
Vampire leader: "Are you going to scare me, brat?"
Dean smiled — that smirk sent shivers down one's spine. He was scared too, but there was no room for fear on his face. He suddenly swung the chain. Sparks flew from the tip of the hammer, the chain coiled in the air like lightning. The vampire leader ducked, the tip of the meteor hammer grazed his head, the blow hit a nearby tree and the tree split in two. The log fell with an explosive sound.
The other vampire lunged forward, getting behind Dean. But Dean had already turned. He threaded his hand through the links of the chain, turned it once. The chain unraveled, the iron ring at its end wrapped around the vampire's throat. With a tug, he tightened the chain. The vampire's neck creaked. With a cracking sound, his head detached from his body. The severed head fell into the mud. Dean pulled the chain, swung the body. The corpse that crashed to the ground splattered earth.
Vampire leader lunged forward.
Vampire leader: "Enough!"
He plunged his nails into Dean's chest. But Dean didn't stop — he let go of the chain, and with his free hand, he grabbed his spear. In one swift motion, he plunged the spear into the vampire's chest. Then he pulled his belt with his left hand. For the first time, he drew his sword from its scabbard.
The sword was as black as night. It had greenish magic veins similar to those on Dean's body.
Dean: "You're lucky you got this close."
As he pulled the spear from his chest, he swung the sword upwards. A green glow dazzled. Suddenly, thunder rumbled — and the vampire leader's body split in two. After cutting, Dean knelt. The rain was still falling. The sword in his hand stopped glowing as if it had fallen asleep.
Dean then saw Eren, barely standing.
Eren: "What the hell was that?"
Dean: "Guilliman clan's celestial gift."