"Let’s see what you’re hiding."
Adyr slid his sword back into the sheath on his back and approached the massive corpse in steady, silent steps.
From his belt, he drew a throwing knife. A thin layer of Malice spread over the blade, darkening the tal and sharpening its edge beyond normal limits. Without hesitation, he drove the knife into the mutant’s fractured skull, forcing it apart. Bone cracked and splintered under the pressure as he carved through the ruined flesh, pushing aside fragnts of brain matter with chanical precision.
Eventually, his fingers closed around what he was looking for—a dense purple crystal. He pulled it free and studied it in the dim light, speaking flatly to himself.
’’As expected. ’’
Still, he didn’t stop there. He checked the rest of the corpse carefully, recalling the parasite Spark he had once found inside Cannibal. Every part of the body was examined, but aside from the crystal embedded deep in the skull, there was nothing else. That confird it.
"As I thought. You two are not the main threat here." Whatever had turned these creatures into this state... was still out there.
What drew his attention next was the crystal itself. The color wasn’t like standard level 2 energy crystals. It was darker, thicker, and more condensed. That could only an one thing.
Ti to confirm it.
Without changing expression, he wiped the surface clean using a cloth from his pocket, then placed the crystal into his mouth and gulped down.
The effect was instant. He felt the raw energy spreading through his veins, feeding directly into his system.
[You have consud an Energy Crystal (Lv.3). Your Energy has increased by 10.]
This confird it.
A level 3 crystal forming inside a mutant’s body could an only one thing—sowhere nearby, a Rank 3 Spark was active.
Likewise, the level 2 crystals found inside the smaller mutants pointed to the presence of a Rank 2 Spark.
Unless there was sothing happening beyond his current knowledge—which he doubted—the conclusion was simple: both a Rank 3 and a Rank 2 Spark were hiding sowhere within this cave system.
Piecing the details together, Adyr reached a swift conclusion. One of those Sparks was likely responsible for the armored forms these mutants carried. The other was controlling both the creatures themselves and the underground tunnels around them.
Trying to recall which Sparks possessed such skills, Adyr searched his mory. The book Liora had given him to study described countless Spark types, and already, at least ten ca to mind that fit these traits.
But there was sothing more. These Sparks weren’t acting separately—they were working in coordination.
One was empowering the mutants, reinforcing their bodies with armor-like structures. The other, with near-human intelligence and calculated manipulation, was controlling both the creatures and the tunnel network itself, using them strategically.
That narrowed things down. They had to be a species adapted to symbiotic cooperation. With that, the list of possible culprits in his mind dropped from ten to five.
As Adyr analyzed, trying to pinpoint which Sparks fit, voices echoed behind him.
"Wow, wow. We ran as soon as we heard the noise, and it’s already over?" Victor scanned the area with blood-red eyes, a smug grin on his face.
"I don’t even get why you ran in the first place. As if you could actually help," Dalin comnted dryly, stepping in behind him. The state Victor was in—hands shredded, body barely stable—made it clear he’d be more of a burden than anything useful.
"I can still give emotional support, okay?" Victor said defensively.
Dalin didn’t even glance at him. She stepped two more paces forward, closing the distance, then spoke quietly to Selina and Evangeline. "Do you think it’s over?" Her gaze was fixed ahead, on Adyr, standing alone as he examined the corpses of the fallen mutants.
How long had it even been since he’d entered this cave? Five minutes? Ten at most? And yet, sothing that had pushed them to the brink of death... now looked completely finished, just like that.
I made the right choice, Dalin Ravencourt thought silently. She had never doubted her instincts when judging soone. And the man she’d chosen to follow... without a doubt, he was soone who would stand at the very top of this world—if he wasn’t already there.
"I don’t think it’s over yet," Selina said calmly.
"I figured as much," Dalin nodded in quiet agreent.
All of them could feel it—sothing was wrong. Despite how orchestrated everything had seed from the start, the fact that they still hadn’t identified any true mastermind only deepened their suspicion.
The coordinated assault on Shelter City 8 hadn’t been random. Sothing—or soone—with strategic intelligence had to be behind it. And looking at the two oversized mutant corpses lying there, it was clear... they weren’t the ones pulling the strings.
"Manipulator and Painter. It’s ironic, isn’t it?" Evangeline spoke up, her face thoughtful as she explained to them that she recognized these two overgrown mutants as the very overlords they had been searching for.
Both nas were known to everyone in the group, at least by reputation. Manipulator had earned its title from its ability to control others, organizing and weaponizing first-generation mutants, inciting them against city dwellers, and earning a place among the most dangerous terrorist leaders.
Painter, though less strategic, ruled through fear. Its reputation ca from a more grotesque artistry: it was known to use the bodies of its victims as canvases, modifying them in brutal, decorative ways. Its signature was unmistakable—adorning the flesh of its subordinates with tal plates, reshaping them as walking displays of its twisted craft.
Considering the lifestyles of those two overlords, the entire situation suddenly felt staged. Too precise. Too controlled.
"They’re lying there lifeless... and tasting their own dicine," Evangeline muttered, her frown deepening.
The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. The overlord who built its na manipulating others... now manipulated itself. And the one who loved reshaping bodies for art... had ended up as soone else’s modification project.
"There are two Sparks we need to find. One is Rank 2, the other Rank 3," Adyr said calmly, having finished his inspection and beginning to approach the group.
’’Rank 3?’’ At the ntion of Rank 3, the group swallowed nervously. They had suspected there might be two culprits, Sparks, but a Rank 3 was beyond what they had expected.
Adyr nodded slightly. "Don’t worry. They’re not that dangerous as long as they don’t have minions around them. One controls bodies—and the entire cave’s earth, stone, and so on. The other strengthens mutants physically. Neither has strong combat abilities directly."
Adyr’s explanation brought a asure of relief. Even a high Rank didn’t necessarily an a Spark was powerful in combat or especially deadly. Sparks gained their Rank based on the potency of their abilities, not strictly on fighting strength or lethality.
These two Sparks, it seed, were more support and control types. Without mutant armies at their disposal, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
"I think I have an idea where we might find them," Evangeline said after a mont of thought. "Not long ago, while my skill was active, I discovered several hidden rooms in the lower layers while searching for an escape route."
Adyr felt a surge of satisfaction upon hearing this. At least he wouldn’t have to tear apart the entire underground structure to find what he was looking for.
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