Moments before Clyde killed the Lesser Cerberus. In a room lit only by a few candles, a man is seen eating his meal.
A table that is quite large and extends to the other side of the room looks lonely because there is only one meal that it holds and there is only one chair occupied. That is the meal that the man is currently eating.
He was a man with wavy shoulder-length hair. The candle light reflected in his wavy, shiny hair as if it had always been given the best care.
"Hmm~ hmm~ hmm. hmm hmm...~"
The man hummed happily while enjoying the rest of his meal. Every now and then he turned towards the window to see the atmosphere of his domain which was dark, gloomy, and almost without light.
The man smiled. "Ah... What beautiful scenery."
He always enjoyed his domain looking like that. Although the other Gods have always been reluctant to come here because of the gloomy atmosphere.
That's exactly what makes him happy. That way, no one bothered him and he didn't have to bother shooing away those who came.
Other Gods called his domain the worst place in their realm. Yet the man couldn't care less. He also didn't bother correcting them and just enjoyed the solitude he felt in this place.
Suddenly his form stopped before it reached his mouth.
'What is this?'
He turned towards the window but still saw nothing different other than the gloomy landscape he liked.
Then, the man got up from his chair and walked quickly towards the wide window in his castle.
His sharp eyes stared outwards and narrowed, trying to find the source of the strange feeling he suddenly felt.
'Someone tried to infiltrate my domain?'
The man's forehead creased in displeasure. If indeed what he thinks is true, that means he has to deal with it. Which is very problematic for him.
'Wait, maybe it's nothing.'
When he felt it again, he didn't feel the pressure of an overpowering force that had the high possibility of breaking the peace of his domain.
They are indeed there. Yet they will not be a threat.
The black haired man sighed. "Well, just let them be."
He thought his beloved dogs and other animals would certainly take care of any intruder stupid enough to enter his domain.
He returned to his seat and enjoyed his delayed meal.
~~~
Clyde immediately extinguished his Mana when he saw that the Lesser Cerberus was dead.
'No one should have noticed my presence.' Clyde looked around in doubt. 'Right?'
He walked over to the corpse of the Lesser Cerberus and studied it for a few moments. That dog was indeed quite strong. So maybe he could take a part of his body to give it to Hammer so the Dwarf could make something out of it.
"Let's go!" Kei said. She has finished treating Haru. At least until the girl can walk well again by herself.
"Wait," said Clyde. He intended to skin the Lesser Cerberus and take the skin to Hammer.
However, before Clyde could do anything, the corpse of the Lesser Cerberus started to melt into ashes. The smelting process was so fast that it made Clyde dumbfounded.
In just a few seconds, the corpse of the Lesser Cerberus had turned completely to ashes and joined together with the dark sand on the ground.
"Fuck." Clyde snorted in disappointment.
"All the inhabitants of this domain who die will be turned to ashes," Kei said after seeing Clyde's disappointment.
Clyde put his sword back in its scabbard and walked over to them.
"Then, let's get outta here," Clyde said gloomily as he walked past them.
Kei and Haru started walking behind him. After a while on the way, Haru said:
"Thanks for saving me. I would have died a while ago if you hadn't come."
"Yeah." Clyde only answered briefly accompanied by a nod. He seemed to give off a cold aura that immediately froze Haru even though she wanted to thank him more.
"Don't mind it," Kei who was next to her whispered.
Haru still doesn't get it. She stared at Clyde's back who was now walking in front of them.
As the roars of the Lesser Cerberus sounded again, and this time it seemed they were getting closer, they decided to quicken their pace.
The wounds caused by the Underspider contained poison which still made Haru's body a bit weaker than her usual self.
She can already walk or run on the ground. But she wouldn't be able to jump between the trees like they should have to get to the rendezvous point quicker.
A moment later they arrived at the meeting place where they had gathered before. However, they still hadn't seen a single person there.
They decided to wait here. After all, the scheduled time for them to regroup has not yet run out. It's just Clyde doing too good a job that they not only find Haru, but manage to kill a Lesser Cerberus and return before time runs out.
Clyde realized that Kei and Haru were really close. He even had a hunch that they weren't just friends through the way Kei cared for Haru with her warm gaze.
However, Clyde didn't intend to address that too much so he turned his gaze the other way. And at that time, Clyde saw something that shocked him.
[ You gain 150 (x10) Exp! ]
Clyde blinked his eyes several times quickly, unable to believe the text that suddenly appeared in his vision.
'I get a notification?!'
Clyde can't help but feels excited. He suspected that the notification must have come from the Lesser Cerberus he had killed earlier.
Even though it's a bit late, but its a nonetheless notification and it's as if Clyde can see a bright spot in the darkness.
'Does that mean my system power is back?'
Clyde hurriedly checked his Character Information. Hoping that what he thinks is true.
And it turns out to be true. Clyde could see his Character Information again.
~~~
