NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Painful Similarity
Elon took a few steps forward, locking eyes with the sharp blue irises of the Direwolves. Though he projected an air of courage, it did nothing to deter the wolves from growling menacingly. He could feel their hostility intensify, and he had no doubt that if he took another step forward, they would charge. It was now a simple equation—either he started taking them down, or they would rip him apart.
GRRR...
'Four E-ranked, two D-ranked, and one B-ranked—the king, Elon calculated. Brienne said I wouldn't need more than five bullets to kill the Wolf King. That means even fewer for the others. One loaded magazine should be enough. Hehe.'
He chuckled, a sound that carried an unsettling confidence.
GRRR...
To the Direwolves, it must have seemed like he was taunting them. Wolves were creatures of pride—they couldn't tolerate intimidation. And in this moment, King-elect Elon had just provoked them.
As expected, they attacked.
The four E-ranked Direwolves lunged first. A coordinated assault like this would have been the end of an inexperienced fighter, but Elon was far from inexperienced. Without hesitation, he raised his AK-47 and pulled the trigger.
DAK—
DAK—
DAK-DA!
Four bullets, four kills.
The impact of the shots shattered their skulls, blood and brain matter splattering onto the rocky ground. Elon smirked. His aim was precise, something he had honed through brutal training with a seasoned soldier back on Earth during the war. Through countless shooting drills, he had learned a simple truth: the fastest way to kill was a headshot.
Sure, a shot to the heart was lethal, but there was something far more satisfying about watching a head explode rather than seeing someone slowly bleed out.
And if there were men who found pleasure in blowing skulls apart, Elon was certainly one of them.
After all, he had watched his parents die on live television, executed by ruthless kidnappers while the world watched. He had vowed vengeance that day with uncontrollable tears dropping down his eyes. But he failed by getting himself killed without fulfilling his promise of avenging them. And that failure had etched a permanent wound in his soul.
The kidnappers had demanded a million dollars, a sum his family could never afford. His uncle and other relatives could have helped if they truly wanted to, but the world was cruel. No one came forward. And so, his parents were murdered, their skulls split open on national television.
That day had been the darkest of his life.
...
Elon exhaled sharply, shaking the memory from his mind. He refocused on the battlefield.
"Well, let's see what the D-ranked Direwolves have got," he said with a smirk.
The two wolves roared as they charged.
GRRAAAAR...!
DAK-DAK!
Two bullets. One of the D-ranked wolves collapsed instantly, its body limp on the stony ground.
The remaining wolf didn't hesitate. It had just witnessed the slaughter of its brethren, and its fury boiled over. For Direwolves, anger was a powerful fuel. Hunger and rage, two primal instincts that worked hand in hand.
But rage wasn't enough. The Direwolf was easily killed while trying to avenge the death of his brothers.
DA-DAK!
Another shot, another kill.
Elon felt a pang in his chest—a strange relativity between this moment and his past. Once again, he had taken lives, yet he had failed to take the ones that truly mattered. He had failed to avenge his parents.
Before he knew it, a tear slipped from his eye, rolling down his temple.
"My king… are you okay?" Vorden asked cautiously, stepping forward.
Then, to everyone's shock, Elon broke down. Tears streamed freely, his shoulders trembling as he sobbed. He couldn't even lift his head, as though the weight of his sorrow was too much to bear.
"What's wrong, Elon?" Vorden switched to an informal tone, sensing that the young king wasn't just physically exhausted—he was emotionally broken.
His face reddened, tears dripping onto the hot stones beneath him.
Vorden's eyes widened in alarm. He had seen many shocking things in his life, but something about this moment unsettled him deeply.
In a distant village of the Steelhand Dynasty, Vorden had once heard a chilling tale. A young warrior had killed a bear, only to break into sudden, unexplained tears moments later. Before anyone could understand why… he died.
Many whispered that it was the work of an evil god—the Invincible Killer. According to legend, this entity would appear before a man, a spear in hand, and utter a single sentence: "You will die now before you realise it."
That knowledge alone would send men spiraling into fear and despair. And then, as foretold, the Invincible Spear would pierce their hearts, ending their lives in silence.
Most dismissed it as a mere myth. But Vorden had witnessed enough strange deaths to make him wonder.
"Elon, what's wrong?" he shouted, panic rising. The last thing he needed was for Elon to suddenly die here. If that happened, the people would surely think he was responsible.
"Ready the horses! We're leaving now!" Vorden commanded.
Two men rushed to prepare the horses while Vorden and another soldier grabbed Elon, trying to support him. Meanwhile, two others remained on guard, keeping their eyes locked on the White Wolf King. The beast had yet to attack, clearly unnerved by how effortlessly its kin had been slain.
But then...
Elon suddenly lifted his head. And to everyone's shock… he smiled.
"Why are you giving up on me so soon?" he said, his voice laced with amusement. "We came all this way to the Stone Forest, and now you want to turn back just because I was crying my fucking ass off?"
Vorden grimaced. He was beginning to wonder if Elon's tears had been genuine or if this was some elaborate prank. He had half a mind to slap the kid for messing with them like this.
Meanwhile, the White Wolf King remained rooted in place, watching the scene unfold.
"Come back, men. Let's go check something," Elon said, still grinning.
Then, he turned to the Wolf King.
"You're free to run, King. Just don't make the mistake of crossing paths with me again."
Ser Vorden and the five soldiers stood frozen, stunned by Elon's nonchalance. He had just given the Wolf King the chance to flee—turning his back on it without fearing that Wolf King could attack.
And yet, the Wolf King didn't move an inch forward. Instead, it turned tail and dashed into the woods, disappearing without a trace.
"Don't think that means the Wolf King is running forever," Elon said with a smirk. "It's probably gone to gather its pack for revenge. The sooner we get the hell out of here, the better."
With that, he pressed forward.
After walking a little deeper into the Stone Forest, they finally found what they were looking for... The limestone rock.
A colossal, white monolith stood before them, towering nearly a hundred feet high and stretching over a thousand yards wide, he guessed. Elon's gaze lingered on it, and he exhaled deeply, feeling an immense sense of relief.
"This is it, Brienne?" he asked.
[—Yes, Host. Enough to build the walls of many empires!—]
Elon nodded.
"So what are we using this for, my king?" Vorden asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
With another deep breath, Elon answered.
"We're tearing down Salvador's pathetic wooden walls… and we're building something real. A wall made of solid cement."
"Cement? What is that?" one of the soldiers asked.
Elon simply smirked.
"You'll see."