The breakthrough of the shadow element ranker was also noteworthy. It had created a black swamp around him for 100 meters, destroying everything it touched and came in contact with.
The shadow element would just take the life out of every living thing, making it deader than the dead. It would also negatively affect the inorganic matter, making it appear aged or corroded.
Special circumstances allowed the young human ranker to complete his rank breakthrough and state of epiphany peacefully. It enabled him to digest all his gains without having to worry about someone like Hiram attacking him.
The Ogre Lord also couldn't approach the human ranker nor could he run away from his current position. A black swamp surrounded him in all directions, blocking all his exits.
The Ogre Lord could feel that his body would just stop functioning after he was bombarded with such a potent shadow-element mana. The black swamp that was festering with malignant bubbles every now and then was nothing but the manifestation of the shadow element.
Hiram could only watch in lowkey fear as the young human ranker passed through his breakthrough. He regretted initiating an attack on this crazy ranker. And he regretted playing with him. He should have killed him when he had the chance.
After the young human completed his breakthrough, he was in the gaseous state of the D-Rank. He also found out that he had so many ideas in his head about his path and his elemental attainment. Ideas that could one day enable him to gain his signature abilities.
When the young man's breakthrough was complete, the black swamp vanished from existence. As if the place that usually cursed rankers would also bless them if they could pass the test it had put them into.
It was for this reason that so many rankers stuck in their rankings dared to enter Monster Canyon despite its dangers. The place was used to create miracles for a select few rankers. And every ranker who had lost hope wanted themselves to be one of the chosen ones.
This time, the Monster Canyon had offered this young man a taste of the miracle. It had pulled him away from the brink of death and enabled him to fight with his enemy.
The young man wouldn't let go of Hiram now that he was completely recovered from all his injuries and fatigue. His rank had been elevated, his spells had been upgraded, and his elemental attainment had achieved new heights. There was no reason for him to not take care of the Monster Lord who was in front of him.
Another round of battle ensued. This time, Hiram was on the losing side. Only now did he understand how terrifying the human ranker's shadow element was. The element and his upgraded spells had allowed him to dominate the Ogre Lord by himself.
So the Ogre Lord finally decided to make a run toward his tribe. He knew he was about to be bombarded with the human ranker's spells from behind him. But he gritted his teeth and kept on running.
This situation had led both the human ranker and the Ogre Lord to their current predicament. The black-haired young man wanted to kill the Ogre Lord for his peace of mind. Hiram on the other hand wanted nothing to do with this human ranker anymore.
The shadow-element ranker was Drin Dawn. It was the White Raven guild that had been given the mission to purge Hiram's tribe. They had taken many missions related to Monster Canyon by this point. This was the first time they had run into the problem.
The masked rankers who had targeted them were from the Escalon guild. However, this wasn't their first time going after the White Ravens. They had already tried attacking the team twice already. It was only when they attacked the team a third time that they managed to succeed in their endeavors.
The Escalon guild was almost fed up with attacking the White Raven team members. That's because they would be attacked by a bunch of Orc Hunter squads every time they zeroed in on these people. It is as if the monsters were aiding the White Raven team members. Which was something incomprehensible and unthinkable.
With its third attempt, the Escalon guild opened multiple fronts to attack the White Raven team members at the same time and finally managed to intercept them. But as a result, since their numbers were divided, they weren't able to overwhelm their targets, allowing them to break free from them.
The Orc Hunter squads were indeed ordered to keep the White Raven team members safe by their guild master. The order was issued to the commander of a big orc tribe named Baran who had managed the task given to him with flying colors.
Baran slaughtered the Escalon guild's team members as soon as he identified them to be targeting the White Raven members. He had the means to keep track of what was happening inside the Monster Canyon. Suffice it to say, the relocation of his huge tribe had been accomplished for him without any problems.
Eren had already shared his team's information with Baran before parting with him. He had anticipated that attacks would be launched on his team in the Monster Canyon by other forces.
He always knew owning his current guild land was a blessing as well as a curse. A curse only if he didn't figure out how to tackle the problems heading his way.
He knew he could count on Levine's factions as well as House Deringer to act as a deterrent. But he couldn't count on them in regions like Monster Canyon where every mishap could be explained and reasoned with.
Eren had begun his plans to acquire Echidna's Authority as soon as he had claimed his guild land. The fruits of his labor were now being tested by his team members without their knowledge.
Drin had also found it strange that there were no more masked pursuers following him while he was battling with the ogre Lord. But he didn't pay much attention to it because he had his hands full with his opponent.
Drin was tired because he was not used to his elevated rank and his spells. As a result, he ended up taxing his body and expanding his mana reserves more than he should have.
But for some reason, despite being out of breath, Drin was excited. He had miraculously risen to the D-Rank. After he became an Adept, it was as if new dawn had broken for him.
