Chen Jiu stood with his sword, his ink-colored robes swaying gently in the night wind.
He took a step forward and lightly tapped the tip of his sword against the crimson phantom.
The phantom split silently from between its brows. A flash of golden light erupted from the crack, and the entire projection collapsed with a deafening rumble.
The backlash surged back along the threads of blood. Before the five cultists could even scream, they disintegrated into ashes along with their masks and cloaks.
Not a single trace was left behind.
He sheathed his sword, clean and decisive.
“Let's go. Back to the tavern first.”
Novia, who had already reverted to her human form, pulled out a brand-new cotton coat from somewhere and threw it on. Compared to Lu Mao, who at least knew a little about the tavern owner's background, she was clearly far more shocked.
“That sword strike of yours just now...”
She spoke, her voice a few pitches lower than usual:
“What combat technique was that? No, that wasn't a combat technique at all. I didn't sense any fluctuation of magicules.”
“We'll talk back at the tavern. It's still not safe here.”
Chen Jiu glanced at her sideways, avoiding a direct answer.
...
“So, you deliberately told me about his scanning ability so they would take the initiative to attack Lu Mao?”
Novia sat on a low couch in the corner of the tavern, the wound on her right ribs still seeping blood.
She tore the tattered hem of her uniform and pressed a roll of bandages firmly against the wound.
Bloody energy constantly leaked from the injury, making it seem extremely difficult to heal.
Chen Jiu stood behind the bar, pouring a purplish-black liquid into a shaker.
He looked up at Novia's wound, took a small stoneware bottle from the shelf, and tossed it across the room.
“Apply this to the wound. It will help a lot. That injury carries a curse left behind by the Blood Fiend. The more you use your magicules to force it to heal, the more the residual curse will absorb your magicules and become even more troublesome.”
Novia caught the stoneware bottle. Without asking any questions, she poured the powder onto her wound.
The moment the black mist met the powder, it hissed and sizzled, slowly dispersing. The mangled flesh at the edges of the wound finally began to knit back together.
“It's best if they made a move, but it wouldn't have mattered if they didn't. Whether it's them or me, time is running out. One side was bound to lose patience first.”
He poured the mixed drink into two glasses. He slid one over to Lu Mao, who was already fast asleep on the bar counter, and carried the other to the low table opposite Novia, setting it down.
“The dungeon riot is drawing closer and closer, so I have to do something as well.
“The scale of this riot will absolutely exceed your imagination. Even I don't know how many eyes are currently watching this place.”
“And that's your excuse for using us as bait?”
Novia's voice rose half an octave.
“Aren't you both alive and well? That proves my plan worked perfectly.”
Novia was left speechless.
“...Madman,” she finally muttered.
Chen Jiu took a sip from his glass, neither confirming nor denying it.
“You were too arrogant. If you had brought that other Dragon Rank from Rhode City along, they might have sent even more of their people.”
There was actually a hint of genuine regret in his tone. “But it wasn't a total loss. At least I can now roughly determine which entity is backing them.”
Novia stopped wrapping her bandages.
“Which one?”
“A fellow who stole a portion of the authority over life and night.”
Novia fell silent.
Having lived for centuries, her understanding of divine authority was far greater than that of ordinary adventurers.
Because of this, she understood the weight of the words “stole authority” all the better.
She pursed her lips. “Is our deal still on, then?”
“Of course. As long as you don't violate our agreement, once I've settled everything regarding the dungeon, we'll move on to your business.”
...
Outside Rhode City's north gate, in the forest.
The forest path grew narrower and narrower, the canopy blocking out most of the moonlight.
Bole walked at the very front with his broadsword slung over his shoulder, cursing as he went:
“That kid better pray he never runs into me alone in the wild, or I'll show him what's what.”
“Oh, please.”
Vera followed behind, her tone lazy. “That kid is still a Silver Rank ranger, after all. If you two actually fought, there's no telling who would win.”
“That brat cost you your adventurer registration, and you're still speaking up for him?”
“I'm not speaking up for him. Can't you tell I just look down on you?”
“I can't beat him? And you think you can?”
“I only know that some impulsive idiot dragged us all down with him.”
“You—”
Just as the two were about to break into a massive argument, Tag, who was walking at the rear, chimed in with a muffled voice:
“Why is that dragon girl protecting him? A Silver Rank ranger shouldn't have any connection to a Dragon Rank.”
This afternoon, the three of them had run into Lu Mao while rushing between the different guild halls.
At the time, they had wanted to teach him a lesson while he was alone. But when they got closer and saw someone following behind him, they were so startled they turned and fled immediately.
“Who knows.”
Bole spat. “Maybe he's some big shot's bastard son, or maybe—”
Mid-sentence, his foot suddenly stepped into a patch of something slick, causing him to stumble forward.
He looked down, wanting to curse, but though his mouth opened, no sound came out.
There was no longer a path ahead of them.
A massive swath of trees lay scattered haphazardly across the ground, their trunks covered in thick layers of frost that did not belong to this season.
The ground had caved in over a wide area, the soil at the edges of the crater vitrified into a shiny glaze. A few puddles of black mud were still bubbling, with a persistent, bloody mist lingering above them.
A strange odor hung in the air—a mixture of coppery sweetness and scorched bitterness that made them gag.
Bole froze in his tracks, his pupils contracting violently.
Vera peeked out from behind him. Before she could finish asking “Why did you stop?”, the words caught in her throat, turning into a sharp, sudden gasp.
Tag caught up, and the three of them stood side-by-side, frozen in place. None of them dared to move.
“Back up...”
His voice was low and raspy. “Slowly. Don't make a sound. Back up.”
Step by step, the three retreated until they were behind a dirt slope, then turned and bolted.
They ran a great distance, only stopping to bend over and pant heavily once the gravel road finally came back into view.
“What was that just now?” Tag asked in a muffled voice.
“I don't know, but it definitely didn't look like something a human could do.”
Bole wiped the sweat and mud from his face, pulled the bag of gold coins from his chest, and clutched it. After staring at it for a couple of seconds, he shoved it back inside.
“Dammit! Other people take commissions for money, but we're taking commissions at the cost of our lives!
“We can't stay in this godforsaken place anymore. First we offended the guild, and now we've offended those cold-blooded killers in the black market.
“Rhode City is only so big. We can hide today, but we won't be able to hide tomorrow.”
He straightened up and looked at Vera and Tag. “Let's go to another city and start over somewhere else. Even being a gatekeeper in some noble lord's estate is better than going to our deaths right now!”
Vera was silent for a few moments, then stood up and patted the dust off her clothes.
“I have no objections.”
Tag slung his axe back over his shoulder and gave a low grunt. “Let's go.”
Rate on N.U.
