Ezra's last sight before darkness enveloped him was his father's head hitting the blood-stained ground.
A scream tore through the quiet plains, Ezra's voice raw and endless, filled with a loss too heavy to bear. No one rushed to calm him. The soldiers lingering near the execution site exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions hardening. They were familiar with death and despair; this was just another victim in the ongoing cycle of power and betrayal. Yet, Ezra's cries were different. They weren't the desperate pleas of a man seeking mercy or the broken sobs of someone succumbing to grief. His voice held a primal quality, a pain so profound it erupted from him, raw and unstoppable. It resonated in the ears of those around, a haunting reminder of their actions. A few soldiers began to whisper among themselves, their discomfort showing in their restless movements. "Someone shut that kid up," one grumbled, masking his unease with irritation. Another scoffed, spitting on the ground. "What's the use? He's done for. Let him scream until he can't anymore." But Ezra continued. His throat burned, his voice strained, yet he kept screaming. His hands, still tied to the post, twisted against the ropes until they bled. It was as if he believed that his cries could somehow reverse the horror he had just witnessed. His sisters' faces flashed in his mind, clear and bright: the silent pleas for help before their lives ended; his mother's fierce look as the blade came down; and his father, once so strong and mighty, now just a lifeless form, his head rolling in the dirt like it was nothing. Then a soldier approached him, his face twisted in irritation. "That's enough," he growled, slapping Ezra hard. The blow turned Ezra's head sharply. His cries paused for a moment, but only for a moment. They resumed, rough and raw. "Stubborn little brat," the soldier grumbled, shaking his hand as if Ezra had hurt him more than he had been hurt. They cut him down from the post, and Ezra fell into the dirt, his body weak and unresponsive. His voice was gone, reduced to a pitiful wheeze. The soldiers showed no care; they dragged him by the arms, his legs scraping the ground, kicking up dust that settled into the fresh cuts on his wrists and knees. "Still crying?" one mocked, even though Ezra could no longer make a sound. "Pathetic. No wonder Lorrin let him live. No fight in him. Just a whimpering little pup." The others burst into laughter. Ezra barely heard them, his mind lost in the haunting images replaying endlessly. He didn’t even react when a kick hit his ribs, the dull pain overshadowed by the ache in his heart. "Do you think he even knows what's happening?" another mocked, crouching down to look closely at Ezra. "Hey, kid. Are you still in there? Or did you lose it with all that yelling?" Ezra's eyes moved to the man, but he stayed silent. He just didn't have the energy. The soldier scoffed. "Nothing to say? Pathetic." He spat on Ezra before standing up and signaling to the others. "Let’s take him to the dungeon. Maybe he’ll toughen up down there." They pulled him along, past the grounds that used to be his home. Ezra's blurry vision caught sight of familiar buildings, their walls stained with blood and littered with the bodies of people he recognized. The remaining attendants were pushed aside, looking pale and empty as the soldiers marched past. Some averted their eyes, while others stared boldly, their expressions a mix of pity and disdain. "He's still alive?" someone murmured. "Why would they let him live?" "Probably because he’s worthless," another voice replied, full of venom. "Not even worth the trouble to kill." Those words hurt more than any weapon could. Ezra trembled, unsure if it was from fatigue, sorrow, or rage. They tossed him into the dungeon as soon as they arrived. Ezra hit the cold, damp floor hard, his already injured body jolted by the fall. "Hope you like your new place," one taunted, slamming the heavy iron door shut. Darkness enveloped him like a heavy blanket. All he could hear was the distant drip of water and the fading laughter of the soldiers in the hallway. Ezra lay motionless, his face pressed against the cold stone. The chill seeped into his skin, yet he remained still, lacking even the strength to cry. But his mind was racing. The name burned in his thoughts like a brand. His master. His teacher. The man who had shown him the meaning of loyalty and discipline. The man who had betrayed him, his family, and the sect. Why? Ezra's thoughts whirled as he tried to understand. Lorrin had always been aloof and reserved, but Ezra had never questioned his loyalty. He had trusted him completely. Now, lying in the darkness, Ezra saw things differently. He recalled how Lorrin spoke to him—always with a cold, condescending tone, especially during the massacre. Lorrin had looked at him with a calculating gaze, treating him like a mere pawn on a chessboard, easily moved. "You have no will, no grit, no skill to fight back." Those words echoed in his mind as Lorrin walked away from the execution scene. Perhaps Lorrin was right. Ezra hadn’t fought back. He had felt powerless, watching his family die while he did nothing. But why had Lorrin let him live? Why not end his life with the others? The answer came to him suddenly, a quiet thought in his mind. Because it was worse to be left alive. The realization struck him hard. Lorrin hadn’t shown him mercy; he had chosen to spare him out of cruelty, knowing the burden of survival would be unbearable. Ezra's hands clenched against the cold stone floor, his nails pressing into his skin hard enough to draw blood. The sharp pain was grounding, but it couldn't calm the turmoil inside him. He remembered his sisters, their joyful smiles and laughter. His mother's gentle touch and his father's firm yet caring voice. All of it was gone in an instant. And Lorrin was responsible. The grief in Ezra's chest twisted into something darker. The despair that threatened to overwhelm him transformed into a burning knot of hatred. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, lost in his thoughts. Time felt meaningless in the heavy darkness of the dungeon. But eventually, something shifted. His body throbbed from the restraints, his throat was sore from shouting, and his mind felt fractured. So when a faint blue light appeared before him, he thought it was just another sign of his madness. The glowing screen flashed with unfamiliar symbols, strange characters racing across its surface. His tired eyes struggled to focus until the words finally became clear: "Are you ready to enter into a contract with the Echelon System? YES or NO."
Latest Chapter
Chapter 98: Inevitable Future
After killing Salvatore, Ezra was supposed to have a deep sense of victory. He was supposed to be joyous because he had effortlessly killed the powerful hunters and his men.But he didn't feel anything. There was no joy from killing those cultivators who had tried to kill him and Mira. If anything, he felt very empty.He turned to look at Mira and saw that she had a small smile on her face. Obviously, she didn't share the same feelings as him. She was happy about killing another intermediate cultivator like her."Why is your face like that?" Mira asked him, walking closer."Like what?" Ezra asked."Like everything else doesn't matter," she replied.When he heard this, he chuckled. But it wasn't because he found the question funny. It was because he found everything ironic.At first, he had been elated about possessing the Echelon system—about being a player. But along the line, as he advanced, it didn't matter anymore. He had already exerted his revenge.If it were someone else, they
Chapter 97: The Last Swing
Meanwhile, Salvatore and Ezra were still locked in a fierce combat. Well, it was a one-sided, fierce battle because Ezra wasn't using all his strength to fight the hunter.Unbeknownst to Salvatore, Samantha had already been killed by Mira. Perhaps if he had known on time, then he would have already known that this battle was a lost cause. All his men had already fallen, and he was the only one left standing.But now there was no coming back since he actually tried to kill Ezra and Mira. And there was no forgiveness for that—not on Ezra's part.His muscles stiffened as he exerted strength into his arms, swinging his axe at Ezra. His hulking figure easily towered above the Echelon player, casting a small shadow on him.The air tightened. The ground shuddered. And then the axe connected with Ezra's neck. Well, it almost slashed off the Echelon player's neck. But Ezra was too fast and easily dodged the axe.What the—Salvatore widened his eyes, realizing that his axe didn't actually cleave
Chapter 96: Costly Mistake
Watching all his men except the female hunter fall under Ezra's katana made Salvatore to shudder. He wanted to instantly turn around and escape, terrified that the young man in front of him was nothing but a monster. But since he was still using the Mind Pill Technique and hadn't deactivated it, he was filled with an unhealthy amount of confidence which couldn't be explained.Also, even if he would have deactivated the technique his pride didn't allow him to do so. He had faced so many monsters and defeated other cultivators as well. Hence he couldn't bring himself to accept defeat from an unknown stranger who didn't look more than seventeen years of age. It would be very humiliating if other cultivators within Bravehearts Town were to learn of this incident.No, I can't turn back now, Salvatore thought within himself. I've lost all my men, leaving Samantha. There is no way I'm going to quit now. I'd rather fight and die like a hunter I am than to beg for mercy or run. Running or begg
Chapter 95: Horrifying
Ezra stood calmly, staring at the remaining eight hunters from the Salvatore Gang. He could see the horror in their eyes after seeing him easily behead one of their friends like that. But then he wasn't bothered one bit and continued to stare at them.He had asked them for directions and was waiting for their reply patiently. If they agreed to point him directions to Bravehearts Town then a whole lot of bloodshed would be avoided. In fact there was no need to kill anyone here because he had already killed a lot of people several hours ago. And it wasn't just a lot of people but thousands of them. Hence he wanted to avoid more bloodshed because he didn't want to seem like a coldblooded killer to Mira.But of course one of the hunters had decided to act stupid, trying to prove his strength by killing him. Annoyed by such a pathetic action he was compelled to kill the individual as a lesson to the rest. If they didn't learn from this lesson and decided to continue attacking him then it w
Chapter 94: Can Someone Give Me Directions?
Ezra and Mira continued travelling north without resting for an hour. Sometimes they would talk to each other, laughing and making jokes. Other times, they would be busy fighting off monsters which attacked them from nowhere. But majority of the time, there was peace and silence as they walked continuously.They were now in deep forests with tall and thick trees which stretched their branches, concealing the sunlight. Thus the atmosphere was colder here and damp. There were occasional hissing of snakes, howling of wolves, roaring of lions and chirping of birds. Maybe they were not the normal creatures and were actually monsters. But none of this deterred the couple as they continued walking.One of them was a professional cultivator while the other was an amateur cultivator. This combination created a perfect duo who were able to vanquish any monster which was crazy enough to think of attacking them. They were literally unstoppable.After walking for hours Mira finally became tired. B
Chapter 93: On the Move Again
An hour later Ezra and Mira could be seen eating the meat from the monster lion. Its corpse was still roasting silently over the fire, oil dripping from it into the fire beneath with a sizzling sound. A tantalizing aroma filled the atmosphere, blending in varieties of ingredients which Mira had made from the herbs around."I never knew you were this good at cooking," Ezra praised Mira as he ate his meat, savouring every piece of it. For a long period of time now he had not eaten something as delicious as this and it was making him quite emotional. He was almost short of bowing down to Mira and calling her goddess."Really?" Mira raised her eyebrows. "Please don't flatter me. You and I know that I'm nowhere near you in terms of cooking.""I'm very much serious, Mira," Ezra said. "Your cooking beats mine in every aspect. You deserve a big worship right now.""You're flattering me, Master....eh...Ezra," Mira said, almost making the mistake of calling Ezra her master. He had warned her be
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