Chapter 70: Sewer (2)
Rustle.
An empty High-Calorie Bar wrapper.
It was a type of combat ration made for Hunters, with just one bar providing 2,500 kcal.
Next to it lay a small Hydration Jelly, small as a fingernail but able to replenish 1L of water.
“Huh…?”
“Ah…?”
Ragnar Lodbrok and Lagertha froze on the spot.
Because beneath their feet lay the cold corpses of the Twinsword Guild mbers.
“What in the world were you thinking doing sothing this insane!?”
Samuel raised his voice.
Killing fellow guild mbers based on re suspicion—this was no small catastrophe.
However—
Kang Yohan still looked at Samuel with that sa cynical expression.
“Quick thinking and improvisation in that short mont are comndable, but shouldn’t you consider who you’re dealing with?”
High-Calorie Bars beco contaminated without fail during a high-level catastrophe.
The dried, crumpled wrapper ant it had been eaten long before—not just monts ago.
In other words—
He was lying.
“You’re insane. You’re still doubting us even in this situation?”
“Well, we’ll see soon enough, won’t we?”
Yohan finished casting and scattered his spells all at once.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
‘Blood Burst’ and ‘Fireball’ turned the area where Samuel had been standing into a wasteland.
The power was stronger than expected.
Thanks to the [Blood Vessel], he could now use magic and bloodline powers more fluidly and naturally.
Naturally, the synergy made them several tis more efficient than before.
Whoosh! Crackle. Crackle….
Through the blazing flas—
Thud. Thud.
Samuel brushed off the fire clinging to his body and stepped out.
“Normally, at this point, a sane person would question if they missed sothing—but no, you’re a real madman. To be that sure just from a snack wrapper.”
As expected. Just as he had suspected.
From the very first eting. From the encounter with the Double-Headed Serpent in the sewers—he had sensed sothing off.
Now, that unease had taken form.
“For people from a small Arican guild, your equipnt was way too good. And not a single casualty from the Double-Headed Serpent’s attack? That’s not normal.”
A mid-tier raid leader having a full set item at this stage?
Impossible by ordinary ans.
“Sharp observation and analysis. Hah… I knew you were interesting, but you really make it hard to resist. If it weren’t for our contract, I’d devour you right here.”
Samuel admitted without hesitation.
“Hah! I knew it! Bootlickers always have sothing to hide!”
“Oh-ho-ho! Sa here, brother!”
The Viking duo, who had been completely oblivious, proudly puffed out their chests.
Well, whatever.
As long as they were happy.
Still… that tone of his.
—He said he knew I was interesting?
They were eting for the first ti, yet he acted like he’d been watching all along.
Co to think of it—
How did he know where to find them in the first place?
They had been extrely careful, leaving no trace behind.
And yet, not long after arriving in O-World, he had approached them directly.
At the ti, Yohan had brushed it off as coincidence—
But now, he had to reconsider.
‘For that to be possible….’
He must have known their movents perfectly.
For instance—soone could have been feeding him information in real ti.
At that mont, an old mory flashed across Yohan’s mind.
Soone who had been smoking a cigarette with a peculiar color and scent.
Though they’d spent days together, that person had never done that before.
No way…!
Swish—
“W-wait a second. Why… why …?”
Lee Jaehwan trembled as the blade touched the back of his neck.
The one holding it was a porter—completely bald.
“Mr. Samuel. This guy’s caught on.”
Go Hanil murmured coldly, eyes sharper than ever before.
Damn it.
Go Hanil… the one with only one side.
He should have known sothing was off with that na from the start.
What kind of so-called teammates were these? He had recruited four people—two Vikings, one Rank 1 Risk-level operative, and a traitor.
At this point, it almost felt as if the entire world itself was conspiring against him.
“It’s not the Vatican, then. Are you from the Requiem Cult?”
“I’m a little hurt that you think I’m rely part of the Requiem Cult.”
Samuel clicked his tongue in mock disappointnt.
Soone capable of this level of preparation and planning couldn’t belong to either the Requiem Cult or the Vatican.
Which ant—
“You’ve… experienced the Forbidden Book, haven’t you?”
There was no other explanation.
＊＊＊
The first ti he had t soone who’d entered the world of the Forbidden Book was back at the Louvre Museum.
Lee Saerom.
She had been a woman who clearly gave off the aura of a newbie.
He had planned to et her again soti after the end of the second episode, but he hadn’t expected to encounter another Forbidden Book experiencer so soon—
and this ti, one far more dangerous and seasoned than Lee Saerom.
Yohan’s eyes narrowed.
First, he had to grasp the opponent’s nature.
[‘Eyes of the Prophet’ activates!]
But then—
Ding!
[‘Mirror of Amacuses’ forcibly cancels the skill activation!]
Twinge!
A sharp pain spread through his eyes.
“Ugh!”
An item that protects its owner’s soul.
Different—this one felt different.
It was hard to describe in words, but…
This feeling, this sensation—
He was definitely no ordinary opponent.
“Considering you planted Go Hanil from the start, you’ve been watching since the beginning. So, what’s your goal here?”
“Well, I was thinking of making you an offer to join us. I can’t go into detail since there are too many ears around, but I’m sure you can guess the reason.”
Anyone who had experienced the Forbidden Book even once would know—
Just how insane the difficulty of this world was.
And how ticulous, how strategic one had to be to survive it.
That was why—
They had to gather powerful allies.
“Quite an intense way to scout soone. Taking hostages—is that the new trend?”
“I simply chose a more efficient thod. Besides, you weren’t planning to take this bunch of riffraff with you anyway, were you?”
“Watch your mouth.”
Riffraff?
They were the best of the best he could find.
“So. What’s your answer?”
“Decline.”
Without a mont’s hesitation, Yohan drew the line.
He admitted Samuel’s skills were formidable.
But he valued trustworthy comrades far more than so half-baked strength.
“That’s unfortunate. But what can we do? We’ve already decided to make you ours, Yohan. Go Hanil.”
“Yes.”
Go Hanil tightened his grip.
Red droplets welled up on the back of Lee Jaehwan’s neck.
But in that instant—
Crack!
The blade shattered into dozens of fragnts.
“How dare you say you’ll ‘make yours’… You people really don’t know when to shut up, do you? Are you trying to die?”
Vivian’s eyes began to glow with madness.
Goosebumps rose all over.
The murderous aura spreading through the sewer was overwhelming—beyond imagination.
“I’d heard reports about you, but seeing it firsthand… it’s even more absurd.”
For the first ti, the composure vanished from Samuel’s face.
He could truly feel it—as if sothing was squeezing his heart. How could anyone not feel fear?
However—
“Fortunately, we’ve prepared a way to hunt monsters.”
“Heh. A plan devised by insects, you say? I’m dying to see what it is.”
“Haha, by all ans—look forward to it. It’s truly a card made just for you.”
Samuel waved a small piece of paper.
A Fortune Cookie.
[Great Fortune: The one who possesses this fortune shall form beneficial and advantageous alliances with a darkness far stronger than oneself. (Uses left: 0/2)]
With those final words—
Golden leaves began to sprout.
Crash!
Crack!
From the wooden vines that wrapped around Vivian’s legs and waist, sweetly fragrant petals blood.
The ground bulged and split apart.
And from within it—
“Vivian Astraia.”
A familiar voice rang out.
With red hair and golden eyes—the witch Arabella Rosewood.
A pursuer belonging to the Grand Witches’ Assembly had manifested once again.
Her presence, however, felt different from before.
To be precise—
The sothing she had kept sealed within her arms was now completely unleashed.
“Their permission has been granted. So, be prepared.”
Kwahhh!
The vines instantly dragged Vivian deep into the underground.
＊＊＊
One of the only three holders of Great Fortune.
To think he’d used that to form an alliance with Arabella.
The situation shifted dramatically.
Vivian, his strongest ally, was gone.
“Shreeeek!”
“Hisss!”
From beyond the tunnel ca the sound of the Double-Headed Serpent approaching.
Samuel had called for his pet.
“Kang Yohan. I’ll take that man. You deal with the rest.”
There wasn’t even ti to think before new events unfolded in rapid succession.
“Understood.”
“Those Viking bastards killed Malson and Patrick. Don’t let them die easily.”
The Twinsword Guild began to move.
Vroom!
Crackle!
A mix of special abilities and skills gathered at once.
To make matters worse, Samuel pulled out sothing radiating ominous energy.
[Samuel activates the Sacred Relic ‘Lighthouse Containing Ti’!]
An item capable of binding the very space within a set radius.
Its usage count was limited, but it could immobilize a target for a full five seconds.
Just like the rest of his set items—
Everything he pulled out was absurdly overpowered.
‘There’s no way he obtained better opportunities or growth than through normal ans.’
But conversely, if he’d used abnormal thods, then that changed everything.
Such as sacrificing humans—or making deals with an Evil God.
Boom!
Yohan kicked off from his spot.
The space he’d been standing in froze solid.
Damn it. The bastard had clearly violated both taboos.
Think.
He had to analyze the current situation and his resources to produce the best outco.
[The Double-Headed Serpent fires Lv2 ‘Acid Fluid’!]
Sssshhhh!
The corridor lted into a shredded ss, and the nauseating stench seed to rot his brain.
A truly troubleso summon.
If that’s the case—
[Subspace Inventory is now open!]
“Fufu! A battlefield shrouded in the shadow of death… It reminds of the glorious era I once road.”
“Huff! Huff! It’s Jungbok! I rushed out right away, master!”
“This sewer sll… why do you always summon us to places like this, hmm…?”
A white puppy with three heads appeared.
Yohan grabbed Sambok’s scruff instead of greeting him.
Yip?
Sambok flailed his legs midair, a question mark practically hovering over his head.
Only for a mont—
“Bite them apart, Guardian of the Underworld! Your enemy stands before you!”
Yohan hurled Sambok toward the Double-Headed Serpent.
Adding a dramatic line was just a bonus.
“A three-headed guardian of the underworld… wait, could it be…?”
“C-Cerberus!?”
“No way! Soone actually tad a creature of that rank!?”
As expected, everyone in the Twinsword Guild, including Samuel, turned their eyes toward the flying Sambok.
Once, it had been the top-tier boss of a ruin classified as S-rank.
Sambok’s small size might have made him seem harmless, but the fact that he was a three-headed dog made it impossible to ignore.
Thanks to that, all eyes were drawn toward him—creating small openings all around the battlefield.
…Now!
[Lv1 ‘Black Devourer’ activates!]
A void spell that gouged out and erased its target completely.
“Graaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
Three Hunters were instantly swallowed by the devouring force.
Their arms and legs were torn apart, painting a grueso scene.
“I’ll smash your skulls and send you straight to Valhalla, you brats!”
Ragnar Lodbrok roared as he joined the fray, swinging his twin axes.
“I’ll treat this guy first!”
Lagertha spat on the wound at Lee Jaehwan’s neck to heal it.
And thus—
The true battle for survival began.
‘Looks like I’ll have to deal with the most troubleso one.’
Yohan stood before Samuel.
“If we fight here, it’ll just be a waste of strength. Besides, you haven’t even heard our offer yet, have you?”
Hmm.
Hard to argue with that—everything he said was reasonable.
Even if he prepared perfectly, going up against Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, would give him less than a 20% chance of victory.
To waste mana here?
At this rate, maybe it was ti to start believing in the God of Light—or even the Evil God.
“So? What are you offering that makes you so confident about this defection proposal?”
Might as well hear him out.
“How about a Rune? It’s still early, so you won’t be able to use it right away, but I’ve obtained a number in the 200s.”
Damn.
He really knew how to tempt a person.
A Rune that could be embedded into equipnt—
Runes enhancing casting speed or mana recovery were traded at higher prices than even Skill Books or Skill Stones in the later stages.
A single-digit-number Rune could spark wars between entire factions.
But too bad.
My answer was still no.
Getting sothing like that this early only proved how many people they must have slaughtered to get it.
And besides, Yohan already knew several routes to obtain Runes himself.
[‘Blood Spears’ are summoned!]
Seven blood-red spears were instantly forged through the Blood Vessel.
Each spear shot off along a different trajectory, targeting Samuel’s vital points.
Clang!
Samuel drew out a spear nearly two ters long, radiating a blinding flash.
“So you’ve chosen the hard path after all.”
The blood touched by the flash dispersed, unable to maintain form.
Did he even acquire the trait [Magic Resistance]?
Unbelievable.
Still, this was enough ti bought.
“You’re not the only one who can shake the situation.”
Yohan’s lips curved upward.
Step.
The mana of a third party approached—
Finally, the long-awaited figure had arrived.
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