Rogue Villain-Chapter 310: Paradise

Makkel’s chills every time Ackster smiled weren’t unfounded. And he quickly found out why he was so scared. Ackster seemed to derive pleasure from torturous training. The only problem was that he didn’t have to be the only one suffering through that torturous training.

At first, the training had simply been Makkel trying to conjure flames hot enough to affect Ackster since they couldn’t afford to expose themselves in the center of the Vider Empire, even if Ackster was confident there weren’t many who could halt their escape.

But as soon as they escaped the Empire’s surprisingly advanced border security, Ackster pulled out all the stops. Without a single break, he forced Makkel to exercise his body and squeeze his mana dry by using fire magic from dusk till dawn. And when Makkel somehow got used to that by eating beasts and monsters rich in mana and existential power, Ackster increased the intensity and duration of the training.

Someone as strong as Makkel could easily be awake for several days in a row. Granted, that was when they weren’t pushed to the brink of fainting from exhaustion a couple of hours after they woke up.

But Makkel didn’t have a choice. If he weren’t strong enough, he would be useless. And if he were useless, he would end up right where he had been when Ackster and the others picked him up. After that, it would only be a matter of time before he died.

Makkel knew that and decided to try and stick it out until he was at least strong enough to break out on his own. However, the overwhelming killing intent that Ackster and Mara could unleash forced him to set aside such thoughts and focus on his training. If he got strong enough to break out on his own, they would execute him in the Empire’s stead.

Makkel didn’t know what he thought about working for people willing to kill him if he didn’t live up to their expectations, especially when Ackster had promised to treat him well.

It was just that, aside from the training, Makkel got decent treatment. He had never eaten food as luxurious in terms of base materials as when Ackster was in charge of hunting. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

If he got injured, Mara and Karandiel treated him with magic that could remove even scars. Wilma helped him focus better on the luck aspect of his magic and skills, further increasing his growth rate. And Kargas was a much friendlier sparring partner than Ackster. He seemed sympathetic to Makkel’s woes and helped the red-haired pyromaniac maintain a sense of sanity in this group led by a maniac.

The others’ actions and comfort helped Makkel withstand and endure what Ackster put him through until he realized how much better his fire had gotten when he tested it on something that wasn’t Ackster, who was immune to fire.

Of course, Mara still had greater firepower, but as long as it had something to latch on to or luck to burn, Makkel’s flames continued to burn. If Ackster couldn’t eat his fire, Makkel was sure he would have burned forever.

But Makkel didn’t think an eternity, even with the increased luck difference, thanks to the necklace and bracelet, would be enough to get through Ackster’s defenses. Makkel had seen him spar with the others whenever they stopped to eat or rest, and when Ackster got a little serious, even when the others attacked him together, he didn’t take any damage. And whatever damage he took healed at once.

It was one of the most outrageous things Makkel had seen. However, Makkel had a feeling that he would be seeing a lot of outrageous things in the future, starting with their next destination.

He wasn’t sure what kind of place it was, but he had heard Ackster mention something called ’Paradise.’

They had looked for that place, wherever it was, seemingly all over the world. They had found Makkel as easy as pie by the sound of it. But they had spent weeks traveling, looking for Paradise. Makkel couldn’t help but be worried since not even Wilma, who turned out to be a high-ranking Guild member, knew much about it or where it could be.

Makkel still hadn’t figured out that Kargas was the same as Kargas, the Dragon Slayer, and Kargas, the Guildmaster.

Ackster glanced at Makkel, who had recovered enough to begin another round of training. He needed some motivation, but Makkel was diligent. As long as he got started, Ackster could leave him alone and focus on his own training. Now that they were above the ocean, he was making decent progress with his mana. And the others helping him spar improved his martial arts.

But Ackster wasn’t satisfied.

Mara, Karandiel, Kargas, and Wilma were all at the top echelons of the world in terms of combat power. However, they weren’t quite at a level that he could be satisfied with. They needed to be stronger. So, even if they and he improved little by little with this ordinary training, Ackster didn’t think it would be enough. They needed more.

But before Ackster could bring them all into the Alchemaze, they had to pick up one final party member, who, hopefully, should already be a worthy competitor.

Ackster glared at the ocean. The Dragon of Life hadn’t exactly appeared in the original story. He and his abilities had only been mentioned a couple of times, especially at the end. Ackster still wasn’t sure. But considering how useful Makkel had the potential to be, Ackster felt like going after Mastrax was a must. It was just that no one had revealed where he lived.

"Hey, Brian, was that island always there?"

Since Ackster still didn’t have a name of his own, Karandiel continued using the one he had first told her, even after telling her the name he officially had. Karandiel once again used it to get Ackster’s name as she pointed at a floating piece of land on the horizon.

"...No."