Chapter 46 - Foreign Civilization’s Adventurers

Chapter 46 - Foreign Civilization’s Adventurers “There are so many monsters here! When did they appear?” shouted the greatsword wielding adventurer in panic, his eyes darting across the nightmarish locust swarm. Soren, the greatsword wielder, had organized a monster-slaying team for a Core-hunting expedition. Within his four-member team, Soren stood alone as a Second Class Dragon Warrior; the other three—a Fire Mage, a Brawler, and a Water Sage—were still First Class. The three were doing their best to kill the encroaching locusts. “Soren, this is great! We’ll get tons of Cores from these monsters. With enough money, we can afford our Second Class and become stronger!” The Brawler yelled, punching a locust into oblivion. The Brawler made short work of the level 13 Elite locust, its toughened exoskeleton no match for his powerful fists. As the creature’s corpse dissipates into swirling black mist, a gleaming thumb-sized Core materialized mid-air. With a graceful gesture, the Water Sage summoned miniature water spirits that delicately retrieved their prize and stuffed it into their magic bag. “Pathetic insects! These locusts are weak! I’ll exterminate them all!” The Fire Mage sneered, summoning massive sweeping flames that swept across the locust swarm with a wave of their staff, reducing the biblical plague to drifting ashes. Soren relaxed slightly as he observed his companions absolutely wrecking the locusts with practiced efficiency. However, they remained blissfully unaware of Han Wu’s presence as he observed them from above, perched silently on an Abyss Bug. His Inspect Eyes activated, revealing the data interface of the four adventurers below. In contrast to Han Wu’s interface, which had a dark, villainous-looking background, theirs glowed white. [Name: Soren Ainz] [Level: 37] [Class: Dragon Warrior (Second Class)] [Equipment: Steelcutter Greatsword (God weapon), Steel Armor (Faith equipment)] [Talent: Fighting Spirit, Greatsword Proficiency, Dragon Blood] [Skill: Shattering Split, Great Cleave...] Han Wu had also observed that all four wore identical badges. Soren’s badge, however, gleamed silver while the other three had bronze badges. This might be an important clue to the differences in their strength. Han Wu silently studied their combat patterns, simultaneously gathering intelligence. Despite having eliminated thousands of locusts, the four adventurers noticed the swirling black mass showed no sign of thinning. Soren was the first who noticed something was wrong. “This battle is unwinnable—there’s just too many of them! We’re getting swarmed! Retreat now!” The other three nodded in agreement and prepared to flee, but Han Wu had no intention of allowing them to escape so easily—they had precious intel on Doron City, and he was determined to pry it from them. After ordering his swarm to cut off their escape routes, Han Wu gestured towards a Heroic Locustman, and ordered, “Go down there and test their strength.” Obeying the command, the chosen Locustman plunged downwards and landed with ground-shaking force directly before the adventurers, effectively blocking their retreat. Immediately sensing the overwhelming presence of a powerful enemy, Soren yelled, “There’s a Third Job monster! Everyone, run! I’ll buy you some time to escape!” A cold sweat trickled down Soren’s brow as he took in the humanoid mutant before him, but his battle instinct took over, drawing his greatsword and delivering a powerful downward swing with his Great Cleave skill. Unfortunately, the attack failed—the Locustman didn’t even flinch, its level 60 defenses rendering the Dragon Warrior’s strongest technique utterly meaningless. A thin white line appeared on the Locustman’s carapace—the only evidence of Soren’s desperate strike. Soren’s eyes widened in disbelief as he realized he had failed to inflict any significant damage on the Locustman. The monstrous being before him was far too powerful. The creature retaliated with a swift and casual blow against his greatsword, effortlessly sending him hurtling through the air like a discarded toy until he collided with the earth. The three adventurers didn’t get far before they were swiftly captured by the other Heroic Locustman. Once they were completely restrained, Han Wu finally materialized before them. Soren’s body shook uncontrollably, his eyes wide with terror like he'd just seen a demon lord instead of Han Wu’s normal face. Han Wu’s brow furrowed, surmising that Soren was likely perceiving an illusion, a distorted image of his true form. The Brawler finally lost it, yelling in a terrified voice, “Stay away from us, you hideous monster!” which was maybe not the smartest move when tied up by mutant Locustmen. Han Wu almost laughed as the bound Brawler thrashed. Han Wu was dying to know what terrifying sight the native adventurers were perceiving. His voice carried an edge of dark curiosity as he loomed over the captives. “Answer me if you wish to live. What do I look like?” The Brawler growled, “Rot in the abyss before I give you that satisfaction, you hideous being!” A sharp crack echoed through the clearing as Han Wu instantly twisted the Brawler’s neck with casual brutality, silencing his meaningless defiance forever. The Fire Mage and the Water Sage, witnessing the brutal act, cried out in terror. Finding their sobs irritating, he swiftly ended both their lives as well. The last living adventurer, witnessing his companions’ gruesome demise, glared at their murderer with a mix of anger and terror as he knelt beside him, yet he was powerless to act. “Shhh,” came the whisper, fingers brushing tears from his cheeks. “Let’s try this again,” Han Wu calmly murmured, tilting his head with a curious expression. “Just describe the monster you see beside you.” With a trembling voice, Soren described him, “Large eyes, long antennae...” Realization dawned on Han Wu. He now had a general idea of his appearance, which, according to Soren’s terrified description, was basically a giant Locustman! Han Wu deduced that this was likely the form the Will of the Civilization had imposed upon him as an invader. “Good, now continue answering my questions. What does the badge on your chest signify?” For three hours, Han Wu questioned Soren, extracting all the information he needed about the rules of this world. Soren's voice grew hoarse as he divulged everything about badges, classes, and the civilization's structures, hoping Han Wu would spare his life. “Alright, that’s all I wanted to know. You can go now.” The ropes fell away from Soren’s limbs. He cautiously backed away, every muscle tensed for betrayal as he carefully observed Han Wu, only believing his release was real after putting significant distance between them. Soren was experiencing a mix of emotions as he stumbled through the forest. He was relieved that Han Wu had let him go, but he was also deeply mourning the loss of his three teammates. They probably would’ve survived if only they had cooperated. Wiping his tears, Soren steeled himself. Mourning could wait. He needed to run back to the Adventurer’s Guild to warn them about the approaching nightmare swarm. Soren remained blissfully unaware that Han Wu was following him, quietly monitoring his progress from the back of a Unique Abyss Bug. Han Wu trailed Soren until he spotted a city on the horizon, confirming it was Doron City. He then summoned his Elf Shortbow and eliminated Soren from his elevated position. Invading a civilization required absolute secrecy, and one misstep could annihilate his locust army. Every variable had to be accounted for, and every witness had to be eliminated. Therefore, Han Wu would never risk exposure until he had gathered sufficient information. At least, Soren’s death was swift and painless.