They drag me deeper into the forest, the carriage and all its golden glory fading behind the trees.
I don't struggle.
Not yet.
Instead, I watch.
Six of them. Two flanking me, two ahead, one at the rear, and the leader some distance ahead with a scar over his eye.
How original…
Their pacing is good, hands placed on their weapons so they can react at any moment.
These are not some street thugs. Mercenaries?
Likely. Plenty of experience, but not high quality. Their equipment isn't great.
Their leader keeps reaching into his pocket… I wonder what's there.
We break into a small clearing. They toss me to my knees, one keeping a blade at my throat while another rifles through my robes.
"Search him. No accidents."
Their leader orders.
They find nothing. Of course they don't. The token is pressed flat against my inner arm. I have other plans for it.
How to make the best use of the situation…
Time for some experiments.
Silent Pulse Breathing to hide my presence.
Thousand Faces Arts to shift the posture, make my shoulders thicker, jaw sharper…
My proficiency is low, but it's enough to make some adjustments.
And lastly… just a taste of my Fear Qi~
A small thread of thick black mist slowly makes its way toward my captor.
As soon as it makes contact, the man holding my collar stiffens. Not fully. Just a subtle freeze.
Good. He felt it.
Let's try the guy in the back.
I let out another tiny thread of dark mist, this time aiming at the guy in front.
…
No reaction.
Let's try again.
I release another thread, this time, the darkness more pronounced, thicker.
"H-Huh?"
Bingo.
One more try. This time, a little closer with the tiny thread.
…
Come on…!
There you go! I saw those shivers.
Mercenary A, who is about 15 meters away, was unreachable.
Mercenary B, who is about 10 meters away, had a small reaction.
The reaction was underwhelming, but it confirms my theory.
Distance doesn't matter as long as you have enough Qi.
The further away the target, the more Qi is needed.
Only targets i come in contact with feel the fear. I can be selective.
I'm thankful to you, mercenaries. Very.
But now… I'm afraid I need to go.
There's a fire that needs gasoline.
A smirk slowly creeps on my transformed face.
"H-huh?"
The mercenary holding me stumbles back, his eyes filled with disbelief.
[You've gained 1 points of Fear.]
I rise up effortlessly, the rope binding me tearing like paper.
"Well, my dear mercenaries… I'm afraid I don't know any martial arts."
The black mist thickens, rolling off me in slow coils.
"So…"
My voice playful, but low.
"I'll need to brute force my way out."
What if… I don't hold back?
Just once. Fear Qi in all its glory.
The smirk deepens as I make my decision.
The mist convulses, thickens, darkens, swells outward - then erupts.
A wave of pitch-black Qi blasts from me in all directions, a shockwave of pure, oppressive terror.
It doesn't hit, it sinks into everything it touches.
The forest itself seems to shake in fear. Leaves tremble, branches sway, yet there's no wind in sight.
The nearest man doesn't even scream. He simply drops, blood dripping from all his orifices.
Two more collapse in the same instant, their bodies twitching like fish out of water.
The one who'd been rummaging through my robes stumbles backward, trips, and convulses once before going still.
Only the leader remains on his feet.
If you can call it that.
His sword arm hangs limp. Knees shake. His last eye rolls backward.
I walk toward him and wave my hand right in front of his eyes.
"Mm… mama… warm… no dark, please… heh…"
He's out of it.
''So broken he can't feel fear anymore.''
I reach into his pocket and take out what seems to be a keepsake.
So this is what you've been playing with all the time.
I take a look inside, and there's a young girl hugging the mercenary.
"Sorry, little girl… Daddy chose the wrong job."
My voice is cold and emotionless.
I throw the keepsake behind me.
Dark mist coils around me again, forming a coat, hiding my figure from all prying eyes.
"Your turn, my dear VIP."
.
.
.
[STATUS]
[Name: Han Ye]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: Terror Manifestation Realm - Early Stage ▸ Foundation establishment - Early Stage▸ +]
[Fear Points: 7]
[Techniques: Shadowless Step, Thousand Faces Arts (incomplete), Silent Pulse Breathing]