My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 77: A Colossal Challenge

"Fuck me!" Sophia yelped, as her eyes lingered on Yul's full form.

Her mother had never allowed her to take part in the efforts to subjugate him over the years when they ruled the Island. Instead, she would make excuses such as she was too young to take part.

Sophia had always hated her mother for treating her like a child that needed to be protected. After this moment though she finally felt a sense of relief to realise that her mother honestly did care.

Yul was a being that she could tell in a split second that she would not last long against in battle. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Although she also had excellent sight, it was not enough to tell that she was the target of Yul's gaze.

Kace was busy fighting against his rapidly beating heart. He had heard the words Yul had shouted and wholeheartedly believed that he would be the first victim. He quickly gauged the distance between themselves and the beach. While at the same time, guessing how long it would take Yul to reach the same destination.

"We have to hurry!" Kace suddenly blurted out. "We can make it in time to disappear into the forest before Yul reaches us!"

Captain Raven heard Kace's outburst. Taking a look at the situation, he realised that what Kace had said was indeed correct. 'With a bit of luck, that big fucker might even get rid of those damned heroes for us!'

"All hands! Put your back into it! If you want to live another day, then I better not see a single one of you slacking!" Raven bellowed with a voice full of authority.

The crew snapped out of the stupor they had been in previously. The team began to rush back and forth, pushing themselves to their limits. Each man knew their job inside out; they also had an excellent motive to get it accomplished.

Sails were unfurled and moved into position to trap even the slightest bit of wind as much as possible. They were hastening their arrival on the island as much as possible. 

Kace could see Yul's figure making incredible speed to intercept them. Though by his judgement they should still have enough time. 'The heroes, on the other hand, well...' Kace broke into a wolfish grin as he thought about it.

Onboard the 'Hurricane' Erik had heard the commotion coming from outside of the cabin. He burst out into the open air with a look of annoyance plastered on his face. 'What the fuck could have possibly gone wrong in a few minutes!'

He was seething with anger, and even though he suppressed it, a few of his troops had sensed his arrival. He was seconds away from roaring at them with choice words about how much of a disgrace every one of them was. 

However, upon seeing Yul's colossal form, he came to an abrupt halt on his warpath. His face flickered through several changes in as many seconds that it took him to register what was going on.

First came a look of fear as he remembered his own time on the Island when he was younger. Second, came rage when Erik recalled all his friends, who had been killed by Yul. Lastly, his expression shifted to one of mildly concealed excitement.

'Maybe this time, I can thoroughly test out my limits!' Erik inwardly floated as he thought about testing himself against Yul.

Phillip had appeared behind him. However, he did not share his mentor's enthusiasm. He could distinctly tell, even from that distance, that the monster known as Yul was beyond them.

He had never seen Erik go all out, but he could not help comparing his mentor to the thing treading over the Island. His curse allowed him to see a flame-like life force emitting from those around him.

It allowed him to gauge someone's strength without waiting for the Hero System to activate. Although admittedly, he had not experienced a large amount of differently levelled opponents to get a firm grasp on it.

Despite that fact, before today, his mentor had the most robust flame he had ever seen. It emitted an electric blue colour and an indomitable will. The thing on the island, on the other hand, cast a silver-grey flame. Many times the size of his mentors.

It was like looking at the difference between a lit candle and a raging inferno. There was no point in even trying to compare the two when one could swallow the other many times over.

Phillips's jaw dropped like a sack of potatoes when he realised that Erik was not calling off the pursuit. 'He must be mad to consider taking that thing on!' He thought with a hint of despair.

He was not eager to experience another death in the least. He was eagerly surveying for a way out of the predicament without angering Erik. However, before he could propose anything, Erik eagerly shouted out to the heroes aboard his ship.

"This is your chance! The guild will richly reward anyone who takes part in the successful subjugation of that beast!" His voice thundered, capturing their undivided attention. "Beyond that. Whoever strikes the final blow, I will personally train them and impart my personal spells!"

All the heroes present immediately went into an uproar! It was too good to be true! Sure the money would be nice, but the opportunity to learn from Erik himself was beyond priceless!

So far, he had only ever taken two apprentices. Everyone knew though that he had never taught either of them his unique spells. Phillip was a fire specialist, so that removed him from the equation. Tyler, on the other hand, had been dubbed unsuitable for learning it.

Speaking of the devil, Tyler had appeared just in time to hear his mentors statement. He was instantly outraged by it, having been rejected by him so many times in the past. It only lasted for a moment, though. His mind finally caught up to what Erik had said.

'This is my chance! He can't refuse me if I'm the one to kill it!' Tyler's face twisted into one born of greed as a darkness cloud his face.