“Grrr… Grrr…!”
The culprit raising the dust.
He was lying on the ground, wheezing like a chicken, having tumbled into the building along with the door.
All his teeth were gone, and his face was a mess, making his already rough features even uglier.
He stepped inside through the entrance where the door had been ripped off.
– Wham!
At the same time, I stomped on the blade flying towards my ankle with fierce aggression.
It was surrounded by a fair amount of energy. Must have packed quite a punch in terms of mana.
But the level was pathetic.
The blade couldn’t withstand the force and snapped, sticking into the ground.
“Hmm?”
The idiot hiding beside the door just stared blankly at the broken blade.
I swiftly kicked his ugly face.
A blurry trajectory landed squarely on his head.
Bam! Blood splattered from his face as he was thrown back harshly.
His stupid eyes, wide open in surprise, lost their focus.
Unable to handle the momentum, his body flew up and slammed his head into the ceiling.
In that instant, three quick attacks came flying in.
A sword aimed at my throat, another stabbing at my abdomen from the side, and a dagger slickly slicing at my flank.
This was a level I couldn’t even call passing.
There were so many openings, so countering was easy.
As I dodged, I swung my retrieved leg and kicked the blade stuck in the ground like a soccer ball.
The blade I flicked with my foot spun around.
– Bam!
“Agh!”
The sword aiming for my throat twisted. With the broken blade lodged in his wrist, he let out a single scream, and his stance crumbled.
The already large opening widened even further.
I simply twisted my body. The sword flying in from the side completely missed, not even grazing my robe.
Wanting to add some meaning, I subtly pushed the sword with my knee.
The sword had lost its balance. It was easy to interfere from the outside. The blade’s trajectory twisted.
Thunk! The tip of the sword jabbed into the shoulder of the man holding the dagger.
As pain froze him for a moment, I spun and kicked him in the side.
He gritted his teeth and surrounded his flank with energy. A murky purple energy coiled around him like armor.
At least he was quick to judge.
– Crack!
“Ugh…!”
Sadly, the quality of his energy was lacking. Both his mana and skills were terrible.
Shattered fragments of energy flew around. Crunch! The man’s waist bent at a 90-degree angle.
Not stopping there, I strengthened my legs and pushed him back. The fool next to him, who was frozen in shock, got kicked as well.
– Bam!
“Cough…!”
The two tumbled over each other on the ground.
The briefly chaotic interior of the building fell silent.
As I slowly lowered my leg, the dust stirred up when the door was ripped off settled.
Still, after all that rolling around, dust clouds resumed.
“Why, why are you suddenly attacking and causing a commotion…”
One on the ground, more accurately, the one who had tried to aim for my neck but ended up tumbling down with his comrade gritted his teeth and spoke.
“You bastard… Are you from the Golden Dragon? Or maybe one of those scumbags from the Association—”
Pow! A kick silenced his mouth.
Looking around at the four sprawled out on the floor… one was stuck to the ceiling.
I casually checked their conditions.
They were still alive. The injuries weren’t too severe. They were just unconscious for now.
I didn’t intend to kill them, as I still had questions to ask.
If I had wanted them dead, I could’ve smashed their heads to pieces, not just knock them out.
‘Pathetic level.’
Maybe it was because their group was small. They barely reached the level of low-tier heroes.
Even the cadets at the start of the Shio-ram wouldn’t struggle against them.
That wasn’t surprising. The original work had similar methods.
After spreading branches all over China, they capture a mix of monsters and humans to offer as sacrifices to send back to their base.
Though they use monsters as offerings, humans are the main targets.
I walked over to one side of the building and kicked the wall.
The old wooden wall crumbled away, revealing a path leading down.
Descending, I soon encountered a thick iron door. It was rusty and had multiple little defects, not looking good at all.
That wasn’t all.
From my observation, the inscriptions carved into the iron door were clearly recognized. At the moment of recognition, I breached the security and interpreted the runes.
“Increased durability, presence concealment, mana circulation disruption… Quite complex.”
The engravings on the iron door formed a web-like barrier encapsulating the entire basement.
A magical structure aimed at achieving both stealth and durability.
Without hesitation, I kicked the iron door.
– Bam!
“…!”
The sturdy iron door was abruptly torn off its hinges. It left a clear mark in the center as it crashed to the ground.
The one performing the sacrificial ritual jumped in surprise and turned around.
Seeing his face filled with shock, it seemed he hadn’t noticed what was going on above.
It was likely due to his focus on the sacrificial ceremony. The basement itself blocked all external presence.
He was dressed in what appeared to be a black priest’s robe. A serpent wrapped around a grim reaper’s scythe was emblazoned on his chest.
‘Death Cult… was it?’
Literally, followers of the god of death. It’s an emblem that is direct and intuitive, to say the least.
Behind that guy was a stone altar.
On the altar lay a corpse, which had apparently been completely drained of blood as its skin looked unhealthily pale.
Though the basement was quite spacious, a few people were confined in a metal cage in a corner, soon to be sacrificed.
It was a dirty feeling.
He opened his mouth. The aura of mana subtly shifted.
It seemed he was trying to buy time with words.
“What are you doing—”
Before he could finish, my foot planted into the ground.
No time to wait for him.
The basement was rather large, and although there was some distance, it wasn’t an impossible gap to cover.
The guy with the twisted face released a wave of mana.
This was mana released for defensive purposes, a black barrier spreading out in front of him.
It was a rapid response, as if he had already prepared it.
Next, the mana within him shifted. He had a unique way of managing his mana, and simultaneously, the corpses behind him began to stir.
Necromancy.
The ability to manipulate the deceased’s bodies and souls.
I had dealt with that quite a bit in the original work.
That’s precisely why I understood why he would bother animating such weak corpses.
Such low-tier necromantic beings were either used as meat shields or as corpse bombs.
Manipulations of that sort typically end with the main body being seized.
Thus, they stick a necromantic being in front to block opponents trying to reach the main body and, if it ever seems useless, they use it as an easy celebratory offering and bomb it.
‘What a bastard.’
My face involuntarily twisted. Energy erupted from my legs as they tensed up.
The mana released into my body spilled outward, becoming that raw energy.
Menacing crimson energy surged and wrapped around my legs.
– Vwoosh!
I thrust my leg towards the barrier blocking my way.
The crimson energy pierced through the barrier effortlessly.
The barrier hardly had any time to react. My leg shot through and struck him right in the gut.
Crunch! The sensation of bones shattering was vividly transmitted. I shoved my leg into him until he hit the wall.
“Gah…!”
He let out a short scream as his body slammed against the wall.
Bang! Suddenly, the basement trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling.
His body, stuck against the wall, quivered before drooping lifelessly to the ground.
The battle ended in a single strike.
I glanced over at the trembling corpse on the altar.
Its movements had at least temporarily ceased.
Had I left it, it would’ve lunged at me and exploded.
Tsk, I clicked my tongue and shifted my gaze to the metal cage. About a dozen people were trapped in the basement, of which only a few were conscious.
Most of those conscious trembled, terrified, from the sudden battle, staring wide-eyed at me.
“Ugh, cough…! Aaaagh…!”
I noticed one of them writhing on the floor like a bug.
Looks like getting hit in the gut was more painful than he expected, as he kept throwing up blood and squirming.
Stopping my foot right in front of his face, his writhing stopped. He turned his head. His filthy, dust-coated face distorted in sheer horror.
“Y-you bastard…!”
Who the hell is calling whom a bastard?
I shrugged lazily, but the already ugly face twisted even more.
“How dare— Cough!”
That’s not the response I was looking for.
I didn’t want to waste time.
I casually kicked his head, shutting up his mouth mid-sentence.
‘Well then…’
While coming here, I had thought up a rough plan.
The top priority was the Lake of Mana, but in between, I would kick up a fuss at the branches of the Death Cult I encountered.
In that process, I’d take out any bastards in my way.
That would be ideal, but sadly, the story doesn’t unfold so easily.
In the process of taking them out, I had no choice but to rescue civilians.
In a white zone like Shifnaha, I could simply hand them over to the Association or nearby factions, but in these gray zones, no factions were available to relay rescued civilians to.
‘In fact, the closest faction is these bastards.’
In gray zones, monsters roamed freely and the land was heavily engulfed in dungeons.
The fools I just took care of.
They forsook humanity and although their skills were mediocre, they were still skilled enough to be low-tier heroes.
These clowns would surely eliminate the various monsters ranging from rank 7 to 8 that appeared around here.
In other words, they could be quite useful in these gray zones.
I squatted beside the guy writhing and grabbed him by the hair.
Ugh… He groaned as I lifted him up. His eyes fluttered and opened weakly.
In those eyes, my figure reflected.
In a robe that covered my entire body and a bizarre mask with just one eye hole.
‘It looks suspicious as hell, doesn’t it?’
With that random thought, I wove mana through my fingers.
“W-wait… What are you—!”
Sensing something odd, he thrashed about. But it was futile.
Mana Affinity Expansion Ability.
Homogenization.
‘Illusion.’
In an instant, the mana trembled.
The color of the mana manifested outside as a deep purple. A chilling yet dreamy aura surged into his eyes and wrapped around his mind.
“Gack, agh…”
The guy who had been flailing suddenly narrowed his pupils, and then his eyes rolled back.
His mouth drooped open, and he began drooling, looking utterly stupid.
Maxwell’s unique ability.
That category pertains to the mind and illusions.
Having only monitored it during our last meeting, I can’t utilize much since my data is still lacking and my proficiency is subpar.
Yet this ability was perfect for a scumbag who had no mental strength whatsoever.
I didn’t need a rational foe.
This fool turned into a gullible puppet who would give me answers without a doubt.
*
[Contact Lost at Branch 12 near Ao-han]
“Tsk.”
The leader of the Death Cult, Kyowon, grimaced upon receiving the news.
It wasn’t pleasant news. It was a bothersome report.
China is vast. And with that, there are many people.
Even after the nation fell to the Twin-Headed Serpent and became a gray zone, numerous humans linger and continue to multiply.
In such a situation, the quality of life is trash, making this place perfect for expanding their sect.
When people can’t find a reliable place to lean on in reality, they often turn to religion.
This is why there are numerous branches of the Death Cult spread across China. Consequently, the quantity of sacrifices gathering from each branch is considerable.
It’s no issue if one or two collapse.
The forces already present in those areas have been bribed sufficiently. Instead of putting a stop to things, they can collect sacrifices through collaboration.
The Associations don’t matter either.
Given that the current state of the mana turmoil is unstable.
The Association heads were already silent, and in a gray zone, there’s no luxury for forming hunting troops.
But lately, branches have been crumbling one after another.
‘Taesan Clan… What the hell did we touch to get them riled up?’
The Taesan Clan.
Recently, the manifestations from Taesan had come creeping into China, causing chaos.
Their intention was crystal clear: specifically targeting the Death Cult.
Moreover, even one of their heirs was involved.
This was problematic for Kyowon.
Should he charge in and wipe them all out? It wasn’t impossible, but he had no confidence in handling the backlash.
If an heir from the Taesan Clan dies in China?
The chief of Taesan would lead his elite forces into China without a doubt.
Once that happens, it wouldn’t end with just a few branches being wrecked.
During such a critical time, he couldn’t bear the risk of such danger.
‘Guess some will have to be sacrificed.’
With hundreds of branches installed across the vast lands of China.
The concealment measures placed on each branch were also quite high.
Using resources and magic made it easy to conceal areas that were convenient for gathering sacrifices.
Also, there were still a few dungeons rampaging throughout China.
Due to the excessive mana waves, even the best sensing abilities would struggle to detect branches being raided after another.
Despite the recent branches dropping one by one, they still had ample time until the plan was completed.
Kyowon was confident he wouldn’t be found in his main base.
He considered sacrificing some pawns for the greater good.
It was a basic strategy that could be understood if one had only their head intact.
Nodding to himself, he once again focused his mind.
In the underground location occupied by Kyowon.
On the magic circle spread across the ground lay the massive white dragon’s bones.
The bones were not in complete condition.
Two heads were attached, yet one of the skulls was missing, leaving it in a half-assed state.
Kyowon focused his mind and poured offerings onto the bones, drawing in the minute spirits that remained.
…
[Contact Lost at Branch 13 near Ao-han]
[Contact Lost at Branch 14 near Ao-han]
[Contact Lost at Branch 15 near Ao-han]
…
“…What?”
That day.
Nine branches collapsed in succession.
[Contact Lost at Branch 3 near Naiman]
[Contact Lost at Branch 4 near Naiman]
[Contact Lost at Branch 5 near Naiman]
…
[Contact Lost at Branch 2 near Wingnyuter]
[Contact Lost at Branch 3 near Wingnyuter]
[Contact Lost at Branch 5 near Wingnyuter]
[Contact Lost at Branch 6 near Wingnyuter]
And the next day, thirteen branches lost contact.
In just two days, more than twenty branches had collapsed, defying odds.
“…”
The damage exceeded expectations.
Which meant there would be a disruption in the supply of sacrifices.
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