Chapter 14: The sudden turn of events

  “Third Brother!” the two bandits roared, their eyes wide with shock at what they had witnessed. Just moments ago, they had been confident of their victory and dreaming of the treasures on Injan’s body. But now, they saw their third brother’s heart pierced.

  “Y-you… You escaped, didn’t you?” The Archer Bandit coughed up blood, his voice trembling.

  “I changed my mind.” Nitaan smiled, plunging the knife deeper before giving the Archer Bandit a final twist.

  The Archer Bandit’s eyes fell lifeless yet clouded with rage. His body slumped to the ground.

  “Third Brother!!” The two bandits screamed hysterically at the sight of the Archer Bandit’s body.

  The three of them weren’t blood siblings, but they had grown up together. Their bond was stronger than any real sibling bond. The Archer Bandit’s death caused them unbearable pain.

  “Stop yapping so much. Aren’t I just helping you take out the trash?” Nitaan shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips, further enraging the two bandits.

  Maniacal laughter erupted amidst the raging flames. It was Elder Grai, his eyes now filled with ecstasy.

  Elder Grai couldn't control his emotions. He thought he was truly going to lose the young master.

  Now there was no longer any threat to the group. He could now focus all his strength on the two bandits!

  “Your act of harming young master deserved a thousand deaths!” The flames in Elder Grai’s eyes blazed, and his fiery domain expanded. All the flames rush in toward two bandits.

  “Hmph, old man. Even if you are strong, do you think you can hold us back?" The giant axe bandit was furious. With no one to attack Injan anymore, Second word Engraver in front of him didn't have to worry about anything and could launch a full-scale attack.

  "Oh, ran away? Not cocky now?" Nitaan sneered. Continue provoking them.

  The two bandits gritted their teeth in anger, but they couldn't concentrate on retaliating. They still had to deal with Engraver in front of them.

  They were still confident they could retreat, simply alternating between attacking and retreating. What they were most confident about was their coordination.

  They fought while retreating. Whenever Elder Grai attacked one of them, the other would switch to assist. The distance between them began to widen.

  When the opportunity arose, the giant axe bandit turned to glare at Nitaan. A murderous intent radiated from him, all the anger and resentment bottled up inside him. But he couldn't kill Nitaan, only vent his anger through words.

  "I remember your face, you bastard who killed my third brother!" the giant axe bandit roared angrily.

  "Whenever you leave the city, whenever you're alone and unprotected, remember that we're after your life!" the dual axes bandit added, his eyes filled with vengeful hatred for the one who had taken the life of their younger brother.

  "Did I ever say you could escape?" Nitaan retorted, recalling their own words.

  Although the bandits wanted to retaliate against Nitaan, their primary goal at this moment was escape. Spending time retaliating against Nitaan was enough to allow Elder Grai to catch up. He glared at Nitaan with furious anger before retreating.

  Thud!

  A familiar sound rang out again. The giant axe bandit, who had just retreated a considerable distance after rescuing the dual axes bandit from Elder Grai, froze. His body trembled with pain. When he looked down, he saw another small knife pierce his throat.

  “H-how…is this possible?” Blood gushed from his throat, his voice trembling.

  He tried to turn his head, but all he saw was a giant black dog with a knife in its mouth. The dog carried a shoulder bag, its four paws adorned with socks and shoes, yet the knife piercing his throat, and its ferocious eyes were devoid of any cuteness.

  It vaguely remembered seeing this dog with the bastard who killed his third brother.

  And then…when did it disappear?

  He suddenly recalled that when the fight began, the giant dog vanished somewhere. All it knew was that when Nitaan started fleeing, the dog was no longer by his side.

  Its gaze met the pitch-black eyes of Kiita, like longan seeds. A shiver ran through its body. Its blurry vision saw this giant black dog as an emissary of death, coming to claim its soul.

  Kiita swung its head, severing the knife from the giant axe bandit's throat. He tried to muster his strength to fight, but his body froze. Unable to move, he collapsed, utterly powerless, his life extinguished.

  He recalled the same tragedy that had befallen his third brother. He couldn't accept that he'd fallen into the same trap a second time.

  He was a First word Engraver, yet he'd been killed by an ordinary wild animal. He let his guard down by focusing all his attention on that powerful Second word Engraver and Nitaan's mockery.

  Since that brat's audacious ambush had succeeded, he was completely careless about another ambush.

  No, that brat... he drew my attention... those provocative words... all for this moment...?

  Even in death, he couldn't believe he'd been killed by a dog.

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  "Big Brother!!!" the dual axes bandit's voice boomed, filled with agonizing pain at the horrific sight before him.

  "A good ambush is one that strikes when the enemy least expects it, like shortly after the first success attempt," Nitaan said with a smile.

  “Haha! You damn brat, you’re amazing!” Elder Grai laughed loudly again, his strong figure leaping swiftly towards the dual axes bandit.

  “Now that there’s no one to help you, how are you going to escape?!” Elder Grai laughed loudly, attacking him with air pressure.

  Elder Grai lunged after him with incredible speed, the powerful energy of the Engraver unleashed without restraint. A domain of fire expanded, surrounding the dual axes bandit without any gaps. When the dual axes bandit realized the situation before him, his face turned pale. He charged towards the wall of fire, unleashing his remaining spiritual energy like a broken dam. Words of power flashed on his calves.

  He bounced into the sky, rising higher than the wall of fire. The air above was still scorching hot. If he tried to break through the wall of fire directly, he would have no chance of survival. He couldn’t bend or warp the wall of fire like his elder brother, his end would only be death.

  Once he had passed through the wall of fire, the sky before him was illuminated by the sunlight, not the raging flames. His hope of escape was finally within reach.

  “I told you, even a thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone for your sins!” Elder Grai’s furious voice boomed.

  The wall of fire below expanded high, while the other walls retracted, transforming into colossal pillars of flames towering into the sky. These pillars of fire completely engulfed the bodies of the dual axes bandit. The screams of agony echoed for a moment before fading away, leaving only the sound of burning flesh and the pungent stench of human remains.

  The battle didn’t last long. The dual axes bandit’s body was now charred, leaving only a black corpse on the ground. His lips twitched on the ground, his lifeless eyes still wide open in agony.

  Injan and Nitaan’s group reunited. Everyone was still stunned by the sudden turn of events. Just minutes before, they felt like they were already face-to-face with Tiran himself, yet now they had all survived. The bandits who held all the advantage now lay dead.

  All of this happened because of the ambush by Nitaan and Kiita.

  “You… since when?” Arun asked, his face still pale from the depletion of his spiritual energy.

  “It was all from the start.” Nitaan bent down to stroke Kiita’s head, wagging his tail as he returned to join him. He took the knife from Kiita’s mouth and stuffed it back into his shoulder bag. Kiita carried the body of the giant axe bandit on his back, blood dripping from his neck onto the ground.

  “Woof! Woof!”

  Nitaan Nitaan! Is Kiita a good boy!?

  “No, you are an Excellent boy!” Nitaan smiled, affectionately stroking Kiita’s head. His large, fluffy tail wagged happily. Kiita loved it when Nitaan played with his fluff, especially around the neck. The more Nitaan shook his fluff, the more excited he became.

  Kiita tilted his body slightly, and the corpse fell to the ground. The strong Engraver now lay on the ground like a doll.

  “Does that mean you planned this from the beginning?” Prai asked, even though what was happening before him explained it, he still couldn’t believe it.

  That was a First word Engraver! Two of them!

  “Yes. If I had tried to talk to you, those bandits might have become suspicious. It would be more believable if I escaped alone," Nitaan explained.

  "Before deceiving the enemy, you have to deceive your own." Fah nodded. She understood the situation. But when she thought about Nitaan's cold voice and gaze, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

  She was sure that even if Nitaan had told her beforehand, if he had spoken in that tone, she would have wholeheartedly believed that he had chosen to escape alone.

  The cold gaze and all the words were an act. Even though Nitaan said that, Injan's perception of him began to change.

  Before this, Injan only saw Nitaan as an exceptionally talented individual. His numerous heroic deeds demonstrated his amazing abilities. His friendly gaze made Injan feel only good about him.

  For someone from a Chao Phraya family like him, he was quite confident in his judgment of people, yet Nitaan had completely shattered his perception.

  "Why didn't you show up to help earlier? What were you waiting for? We almost died, you know!" Arun yelled.

  "They were very cautious," Nitaan apologized. "It was only when they thought they'd won that I saw an opportunity to act." Nitaan shook his head helplessly.

  "Even though I get it, I’m still very angry. P’ Nitaan, can I punch you?" Injan is still angry at Nitaan. Partly because he truly believed Nitaan would abandon them, and partly because he blamed himself for not seeing such a simple plan.

  "If it means I still get paid, then okay," Nitaan said with a dry smile.

  "Of course, besides the increased pay, you'll get a lot more rewards too, right, Elder Grai?" Injan suddenly laughed and nodded towards Elder Grai.

  Elder Grai was now staying close to Injan, as if afraid of a repeat of the incident. Elder Grai maintained a neutral expression, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Nitaan was noticeably gentle.

  Elder Grai nodded slightly in acknowledgment, a gesture showing genuine gratitude, and if Nitaan wasn't mistaken, there was a touch of respect as well.

  "And... and what about Kiita? How could he do that? I mean, suddenly appearing behind the bandit and stabbing him in the neck with a knife?" Prai tried to explain with hand gestures. But when he tried to lift his hand, the sharp pain from the numerous black burns on his hand forced him to put it down.

  “Oh,” Nitaan chuckled softly.

  Kiita jumped up and clung to Nitaan with his front paws. Nitaan stroked the thick, soft fur around his neck, trying to push away the large face that was enthusiastically licking his own.

  “Kiita is a rather clever dog, aren’t you, Kiita?”

  “Woof!”

  Everyone looked at Kiita. He was still playing with Nitaan, his tail wagging, happily rubbing his neck against Nitaan’s body. Nitaan couldn’t help but stroke his large head with a bright smile.

  This rather clever dog had just killed a First word Engraver!

  What is Engraver? Among the many Newborns, many may discover their own Word of Power, but generally, only one or two words are discovered by the age of 40.

  After the Engraving Ceremony, they become Learner. Those 1- and 2-word Learners are the majority of the Grand Continent's population, almost all are stuck at this level.

  Only after thoroughly comprehending their Word of Power do they become Engravers. The words engraved on their bodies become incomparably more powerful than those of Learners.

  Not only are Words of Power’s power enhanced, but physical potential, spiritual energy, and lifespan are all elevated. It's a true transcendental attainment.

  Countless Learners fail to fully comprehend even one Word of Power and remain at the Learner level forever. Like the townsmen, shopkeepers, and Craftsmiths who accept their reality, using their words to develop their work and careers instead of striving for higher levels. Therefore, truly comprehending the word and becoming an Engraver is the beginning of scripting one's own fate.

  A single First word Engraver can contend with multiple Learners simultaneously. Even basic physical strength is far superior to that of a mere Learner. Furthermore, their ability to apply their powers is more diverse and potent. For example, the giant axe bandit can use his power to bend even the ground or flames. A Learner is no match for them unless they possess strong artifacts.

  If considering Elder Grai's fiery domain as an example, even Nitaan would have no chance of survival. No matter what strategies or tricks he used, the sheer fire alone could crush anything.

  Therefore, without high-level coordination and a well-planned strategy, a group of Learners would have no hope of defeating First word Engraver.

  But this ordinary dog, wagging its tail and fawning over Nitaan, had already done it!

  "It's the poison from the Rainbow Devouring Serpent. I borrowed a little from Injan and smeared it on the tip of Kiita's knife," Nitaan explained.

  That explains why the bandit was temporarily paralyzed in the end. Injan thought.

  "But the diluted Rainbow Devouring Serpent's poison shouldn't be enough to subdue the First word Engraver," Prai asked skeptically.

  "So I only used it as a supplement. A single stab to the neck gave the bandit only one chance to retaliate."

  "And that opportunity was shut down by the brief paralysis of the Rainbow Devouring Serpent."

  "Then how did Kiita appear behind that bandit? Even though he is careless, he is still Engraver!" Fah exclaimed.

  "As I said, a good ambush is about seizing the opportunity to strike the enemy's vital spot when they're least expecting it," Nitaan shrugged.

  "It's the same with Engraver. Even though Engraver has superhuman physical abilities, their weak points are still the same. If Kiita finds the right moment to attack, Engraver can die just like any other human. Of course, that doesn't include those with high defensive Word of Power like Prai." Nitaan chuckled.

  "Kiita has been patrolling with me since he was a puppy. I taught him about ambush tactics, timing, silent movement, and other things that affect fighting in the forest. That's why he was able to sneak up on that bandit." Nitaan explained at length.

  "And that's not even considering that he's just a dog, not a devil beast."

  "Even if it disappears at any moment, most people don't really care."

  Actually, there are other details that Nitaan didn't explain further. The main reason Kiita could get so close was because Nitaan used his Fade on it. Nitaan himself also used his Gravity, reducing Kiita's weight until it could walk almost silently.

  When an ordinary dog, already largely ignored, is further enhanced by Fade, and its movements are virtually silent, the result is a master assassin. With the right tools and perfect timing, even Engraver could be killed.

  Of course, Nitaan had no intention of revealing these secrets. The unseen blade is the deadliest. While he trusted this group of adventurers, the more cards he had, the more secure he felt.

  Besides training Kiita to follow his assigned commands, his Link also played a significant role, both in sharing some of his power with Kiita and in their ability to communicate from afar.

  "I truly owe P’ Nitaan a debt." Injan smiled.