Chapter 74: Safe Zone
“What kind of power is that…?”
“Kuhahaha! That’s one hell of a blood-boiling ability! Are all mages this amazing?”
“……That ability.”
Reina, Lodbrok, and the Saintess each reacted differently.
Awe, admiration… and vigilance.
Especially, the Saintess’s gaze trembled faintly.
On the surface, it looked like a splendid spell, but beneath it, a faint scent of blood lingered.
It might fool an ordinary paladin or priest, but not herself.
‘A blood mage?’
A profession known for manipulating blood.
Its roots lay deep within darkness.
In other words—
‘One who stands against the will of God.’
No, perhaps he wasn’t rely a blood mage. He could be sothing even greater.
For example… like the vampires belonging to the Redmoon Corporation.
Twitch.
The Saintess’s eyelids quivered.
The instinct to uncover the truth and purge the heretic began to stir.
However, her reason barely managed to suppress that instinct.
Not yet.
For now, a greater and darker evil lurked nearby.
As the revelation had foretold, she would deal with that darkness first.
anwhile, Yohan rummaged through the mutated plant still suffering from status ailnts.
It was strong enough that even without killing it, he could extract a few items.
‘A vital organ should drop at least one ti out of—’
The probability was abysmal, but if it dropped, it would lead to the best-case scenario.
However—
“Tch.”
Nothing ca out.
As expected, since it was a weaker specin among its kind, the most important item was missing.
Still, it wasn’t a total loss.
When Yohan opened his palm, a small blue jewel the size of a fingernail appeared.
[Shard of Subjugation]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Description: Increases resistance to Gluttony by 30. When consud, all stats increase by 20.
Not bad.
There were ways to make use of this in the current episode.
After gathering a few more byproducts, Yohan crossed the bridge and entered the safe zone.
[You have entered the ‘Safe Zone’ of the sewer.]
[For the next one hour, all tracking related to the Boss Monster will be nullified.]
[After one hour, the protection of this safe zone will dissipate.]
“Brother!”
“Hyung. You’re safe. Thank goodness… really.”
Lagertha and Lee Jaehwan, who had crossed first, greeted him warmly.
They had heard fierce battle sounds across the bridge but couldn’t tell what was happening in the darkness.
All they could do was pray for their companions’ survival.
“Saintess! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Sir Ventis is…”
The paladins and priests hurried toward the Saintess.
“He has departed for the side of God.”
“Ah….”
“I see…”
They did not forget to mourn the fallen paladin.
Once the brief mont of condolence passed, the Saintess approached Yohan.
“You kept your promise.”
Bread and Wine of the Poor.
After eating the untainted food and wine, the hunger gauge that had plumted to the bottom rose rapidly.
His stomach felt sowhat filled now.
He finally had a mont to breathe.
Honestly, he had almost fallen off the bridge just monts ago.
That was how severe the recoil from his earlier abilities had been.
The problem began now—
Yohan’s eyes narrowed.
Although the Saintess had joined their party, the situation was still bleak.
Due to Samuel’s betrayal, Jung Seongtae and the other hunters acting as decoys on the opposite side were in grave danger.
Their situation was likely worse—if not equal—to this side.
‘I hope Vivian is okay.’
She was strong enough that an ordinary witch from the Grand Witches’ Assembly wouldn’t be a match for her, but…
He had a bad feeling.
Arabella’s final smile carried far too much confidence.
However, for now, there was nothing he could do but trust Vivian and wait.
‘First, I need to secure control of the safe zone.’
Fifty minutes remained.
It was ti to gather strength once more to prepare for the coming battle against Gluttony.
“Huff, huff! Master! Over here! This way! I sll it! Jungbok’s nose is amazing!”
Following Jungbok deeper into the cave for about five minutes, Yohan advanced.
The path was quite complicated, but Jungbok moved quickly, sniffing constantly.
Since Chobok and Malbok were not summoned for mana efficiency, Jungbok currently looked like an ordinary dog for once.
Before long, a lake shimring with blue light ca into view.
‘Found it faster than expected.’
Yohan smiled in satisfaction.
Each safe zone contained hidden items that could aid in defeating the Boss Monster.
He had specifically chosen this safe zone beyond the cliff because the water in its lake was special.
Of course, he couldn’t just scoop it up recklessly.
‘It’s essential to go through the process to reduce side effects.’
Yohan examined the rocks surrounding the lake.
At first glance, they appeared ordinary.
However, on closer inspection, so were carved into distinct shapes—fish, frog, coral, and shell.
They had to be paired and positioned facing one another in the correct order.
Next, droplets of water from the lake had to be released in multiples of three.
Drip, drip. Drip!
As the final drops fell onto the shell-shaped rock—
Rumble—!
The entire lake began to quake violently.
“Eek! M-Master! The rocks are moving! Is it an earthquake? Are we gonna die?!”
“It’s fine. Stay still.”
Yohan hugged the trembling Jungbok tightly to calm him.
Almost simultaneously, the center of the lake split open, and white bubbles surged upward.
[The effect of the lake has changed.]
If he simply collected this water, it would only quench thirst and slightly restore stamina.
However, using those bubbles would produce a completely different effect.
[You have obtained the special item ‘Water of Longing.’]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Description: When consud, hunger level increases tenfold for five minutes. Even skin contact may trigger the effect, so handle with caution.
Good.
With this, he had secured at least one crucial variable.
＊＊＊
Above the sewers—
At the heart of O-World, where amusent rides filled the area, Gluttony’s lips twitched.
“Hooh… there’s soone who… hurt my clone.”
Just monts ago—
One of the clones he had created from his ‘lungs’ had taken severe damage.
“Was it the Saintess…?”
Kain imdiately asked.
“No. That toy of light… it wasn’t her. It was a different kind of power… how amusing. The newcors this ti seem rather special.”
“You should be careful. Considering they defeated the Apostles across Daejeon, they must be quite formidable.”
“You overstep… yourself. Just because the Evil God shared a fraction of His… power with you—does a re insect like you think to advise… ? Do you truly believe such pests… could ever be… a threat to ?”
Flas erupted within Gluttony’s eyes.
A dreadful killing aura rippled through the air.
“M-my apologies!”
Kain bowed his head swiftly.
If not for the fact that they both served the sa Evil God, he would have been devoured like the others.
“I have… already consud… plenty of prey. Even with restrictions… there is no hope… for them.”
Crunch.
Crack.
From his gaunt sides, withered arms burst out—
Flesh split apart, and blood splattered in thick drops.
Thud! Thud!
The arms stretched over five ters, supporting Gluttony’s body high above the ground.
Multiple arms beca new legs that carried Gluttony’s massive form forward.
From now on—
“The festival… shall begin.”
Red flas erupted from behind Gluttony.
Like a sun rising in the middle of the night.
The blazing radiance illuminated the entire amusent park, observing every moving thing.
A priest of the Requiem Cult who was watching that sight twisted his lips into a sly smile.
“Sir Kain, it seems to be working.”
“As expected, just a little provocation was all it took for him to snap.”
The most effective way to force soone to give their all was to wound their pride.
With that, this place had beco an impenetrable fortress.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll be quite busy as well. There are countless sacrifices waiting to be offered to the Evil God.”
As he spoke, primitive emotions surged through Kain’s face—
Rage and vengeance.
The family he had been forced to lose under the na of faith.
The justice defiled beneath their so-called law.
Yes.
He had lost everything.
All that remained was the emptiness in his chest, the warmth of his daughter that slipped from his grasp, and the vivid mory of that day.
He would kill and kill again…
…until he returned it all—
—the pain and agony he had felt.
‘It’s almost ti.’
With Gluttony taking such perfect asures, not even hundreds of hunters together could possibly break through.
However—
KWAANG!
A thunderous explosion shattered everyone’s expectations.
“M-Monsters…! There are so many—countless of them!”
“Uwaaaargh!”
Desperate screams echoed all around.
＊＊＊
[The ‘Lantern Bottle’ is opening!]
[The ‘Yokai Train’ has begun operation!]
The Yokai Train, a magical artifact stored by Vivian, had just been unleashed.
The countless yokai dwelling within it were freed at this very mont.
“Kikikik!”
“Prey? Prey? Can we eat them?”
“Freedom. Let’s… run wild as much as we please.”
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
Ghosts and yokai rose from the pits, attacking every enemy in sight.
Having consud the Shard of Subjugation, each creature’s power had increased drastically.
And since it was night, their savagery surged to its peak.
“Kuhahaha! A battlefield! Finally, the counterattack begins!”
“Wow. Brother Yohan actually planned all this in advance?”
Lodbrok and Lagertha clenched their fists tightly.
They had spent so long just fleeing, struggling to survive.
They had never even dared to dream of a counterattack.
But with an army like this…
It was possible.
It was worth trying.
‘At least, the distraction worked.’
Yohan nodded as he watched the chaotic battlefield unfold.
Of course, no matter how strong the ghosts and yokai were, they were no match for Gluttony.
However, every small step built up would eventually lead to a great leap forward.
‘Besides, I already extorted sothing from the Saintess.’
—You’re going to stay here and chant the Holy Spear anyway, right? We’re the ones doing all the dangerous work and drawing the aggro. In that case, there’s no real reason for you to need the sacred relic.
In exchange for taking all the risks, he’d negotiated to borrow one of the sacred relics she possessed.
That was the condition of their temporary alliance.
The paladins and priests had vehently opposed it, foaming at the mouth, but what could they do?
Once the safe zone’s protection ended, they would imdiately beco targets.
And to prepare a Sacred Sword capable of defeating Gluttony—forty minutes left simply wasn’t enough.
[Holy Spear ‘Dawn’s Radiance’ is being activated!]
Wuuuum—!
He could feel the faint divine power gathering below.
From now on, it was a matter of endurance—how long they could hold out.
“We’ll draw as much attention as possible and find a defensible stronghold.”
Yohan scanned the entire amusent park.
He had several potential spots in mind, but the optimal position had to be confird directly.
“Sigh. That’s fine and all, but can’t I just take the position of guarding the Saintess? My webs and spiders are much better suited for defense, you know.”
Reina’s eyes darted around nervously.
No way.
Until she could re-ingest the fruit, she was under close supervision—Priority Target No. 1.
“Stop whining and follow . You know as well as I do that no matter how good you are at running, you can’t survive alone against Gluttony.”
“Tch, this is seriously the worst. Ugh. How did it co to this…”
Cornered, Reina gave up on everything with a sigh.
Just then—
“Hyung.”
From the rear, Lee Jaehwan called out cautiously to Yohan.
“Hm? What is it, Jaehwan?”
“Well… there’s a new revelation.”
Finally—!
It was ti to check the long-awaited additional information.
But then—
“What’s this?”
Yohan’s pupils quaked violently.
[Prophecy: Soon, another Judas shall awaken. (1)]
There was another traitor.
And this one… was completely unpredictable.
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