Chapter 278: Underground Facility [4]

Eve had selected the tunnel on the left, and Aina decided to go with the tunnel on the right. Nox had chosen the middle tunnel. There were still about three more unexplored tunnels, but the group of three had decided to take their time exploring one at a time.

As soon as the two women entered their respective tunnels, however, Nox returned to the large space once again and approached the statues of Terra. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Summoning his Oblivion Edge, Nox droved the dagger into the wall sending a faint ripple through the stone statue. Because the statue was partly embedded in the wall, he had to be careful; otherwise, he might end up destroying the last remaining statue of Terra.

For the past 30 minutes, Nox had meticulously carved out the statue and soon placed it in his inventory.

'If someone else finds out the true identity of this statue, they might destroy it,' Nox thought, wiping glistening sweat from his forehead. 'Of course, I won't keep this statue in my inventory forever.'

Nox planned on building a befitting place of worship with security for Terra.

Nox's eyes flashed sharply. There, the new generation would awaken the beast-taming class.

"However, before then, I need to get as strong as I can, Nox clenched his fists, his eyes shining with determination. "So strong that anyone who thinks about attacking this temple would have to think twice."

As he thought about this, he went back inside the tunnel he had come from, his back gradually fading into the distance.

---

In the pantheon of mythical beasts...

Terra, along with several beast gods, watched Nox's declaration and couldn't help but smile. They were currently having a picnic on a table that stretched endlessly into the horizon, occupied by beasts of various sizes and shapes.

On the surface of the table, a projection of Nox treading through the silent tunnel could be seen.

A beautiful smile gently tugged at the corners of Terra's lips. "The first step has already begun!"

"But, Goddess... is this really a good idea?" Rufus asked anxiously, his brow furrowing deeply. Then he added, "I mean, isn't it too early?"

Terra gently moved a strand of her hair behind her and said, her eyes fixed on the table displaying Nox, "It's better he starts early... after all, there are still several steps to go before the pantheon can be known all over Eos again."

"And as for those other bastards..." The aura around Terra immediately changed, a thick bloodlust emitting from her body. Her beautiful face darkened, slightly scaring the others at the table as she added in a cold tone, "We'll be ready for them this time... we won't go down without a fight."

"And..." She paused. "That's why we need to keep throwing hurdles and problems at him."

"What... does this mean?" a god asked, their face filled with confusion.

"We need to make him the best version of himself," Terra declared in a strong voice, but then her voice wavered, taking on a soft tone. "He'll feel pain... but one day, he'll look back and understand why it was necessary."

"The road for the Vassal was never meant to be a straightforward path, after all."

---

Thud. Thud.

The tunnel was dark and cold, Nox's steps bounced across the walls. There were no flaming torches on the walls. Nox summoned a single purple monster core, the light from the core immediately illuminating his face and casting long shadows on the walls.

"Now this is better." Nox emitted a satisfied smile as he strode forward.

A couple of steps later, he froze. He heard voices.

"I heard from one of the guys that the Cromwells and Armstrongs are holding up quite well," a man's voice said. "At this rate, they might just survive this wave as well."

The man's voice trembled slightly as he added, "I also heard that reinforcements from the capital might be on their way... If that's true, it could ruin everything."

"Reinforcements or not, it doesn't matter. The second wave was just the beginning; the third wave will deal with all of them," the other voice said. This one was much softer and feminine, belonging to a woman.

The woman added in a confident tone: "If the third wave fails to deal with them, that thing will be released. If that happens—"

The man interjected, "The western region will be wiped out from the map of the Vermilion Kingdoms and the human domain... it will be mission complete."

Nox listened to their conversation, pondering. What thing are they talking about? Something that could destroy an entire kingdom...

"I need answers," Nox narrowed his eyes. He placed the spire-shaped monster core back inside his inventory because the two cloaked figures had flaming torches that lit up the tunnels around them.

Without hesitation, he activated Phantom Cloak, and the familiar description appeared in his retina.

---

[Phantom Cloak Description (Ultimate Skill):

The user becomes "completely" invisible for up to 5 minutes. While in this state, they gain +10 Agility and can pass through solid objects; also gain the ability to turn any object invisible. MP Cost: 20 MP to activate, plus -5 MP per second activated. Cooldown: 3 minutes.]* Enjoy new chapters from m-v l'-NovelFire.net

---

'If I need to know more about this beast tide, I need to confront them,' Nox thought, dismissing the screen on his face.

In his invisible state, Nox snuck behind the two figures. The two were still engrossed in their discussion, oblivious to the outline following closely just a few meters away.

The tunnel was silent, the only sounds coming from the crackling flames of the torches and the footsteps of the two. Naturally, Nox's steps were soundless, his sharp gaze focused on the pair. At that moment, Nox was about to make his move but abruptly stopped.

The two were talking about that "powerful entity" once more.

"But do you really think the higher-ups would risk releasing it?" the man asked, his voice low but laced with panic that didn't go unnoticed by Nox.

"They will if it comes to that," the woman replied coldly. "The Vermilion Kingdoms are just an obstacle. If it takes wiping out the entire western region to achieve our goal, so be it."

Nox's mind became tumultuous. The more he heard about their conversation, the more curious he became about this weapon or beast they were talking about.

In the end, he couldn't wait any longer. His hands shot forward, grabbing both figures by their necks. The eyes of the pair widened as they frantically tried to turn around and fight off their unknown attacker, but they inevitably found their heads smashed into the wall.

BANG!

"What the bloody hell!" the man exclaimed in pain.

"My head hurts!" the woman cried out as well.

They glanced behind them, hoping to find their attacker, but saw no one. This left them even more perplexed because they could still feel arms pressing their heads against the cold wall of the tunnel.

Suddenly, at that moment, the outline of a figure slowly formed in front of them as if he had emerged from the darkness itself. Nox's Phantom Cloak deactivated, revealing those glowing black eyes darker than the tunnel itself. The flaming torch shining on Nox's face made him appear even more menacing.

The two cloaked figures immediately shivered, their hair standing on end.

"You two," Nox's voice was cold and dark. "Start speaking."