NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 173 Without pain
After the girls had cleared the cave of F-rank creatures, Anthony used his aura to coat the entire cave, ensuring there were no more threats. Taking advantage of the relative darkness of the cave, this task wasn't a big challenge for him, and in no time, he managed to cover the entire space.
However, just as he thought his work was done, he frowned as he felt a disturbance in the atmosphere. Closing his eyes, he activated a footwork technique, and his body turned black before disappearing completely before the astonished eyes of the girls.
Suddenly reappearing, Anthony found himself in front of a large door beautifully decorated in a golden hue. He tried to investigate what lay behind the door, but found he couldn't pass through it. Reflecting on the situation, Anthony came to a conclusion: behind that door might be one of the titans, one of the Base-Titan creatures scattered throughout the map.
However, this particular titan seemed to be especially well-hidden. Given that the cave was about 500 meters deep.
Anthony carefully observed his surroundings inside the cave, noticing the stone peaks and some strange formations adorning it. He realized the entrance was quite narrow, which could pose a challenge for large individuals like himself. The cave floor was strewn with rocks, and the constant drip of water could be heard in the dark environment.
Despite the lack of light, Anthony could see clearly thanks to his affinity with darkness. However, he realized that the narrow entrance and rocky terrain might hinder his companions' movement. A sigh of frustration escaped his lips as he considered the available options. After a moment of reflection, Anthony disappeared again, only to reappear a few meters ahead, near where the girls were.
They jumped in surprise at seeing him suddenly appear. "There's a door 500 meters deep in this cave," Anthony announced after a brief hesitation. "I think it might be one of the titans," he added, observing the girls' reactions closely.
Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you sure?" she asked incredulously. Anthony, calculatingly, responded with determination. "It's a possibility, but I have a feeling it could be a titan," he replied calmly, albeit with a slight tension in his voice.
However, he quickly pointed out a problem. "But there's a drawback: due to the depth of the cave and the instability of the terrain, it would take us a long time to descend." Anthony looked at the girls seriously before making a proposal. "Unless I take you down directly," he said, offering them a solution they might not have considered before.
The girls hesitated at Anthony's proposal. Adelaide cautiously asked, "And how will you do that?" Anthony looked at her with determination and responded straightforwardly, "It's quite simple. I'll just surround you with my aura and touch you on the shoulder to take you down directly." After a moment of reflection, the girls nodded in agreement.
"All right, but let us rest for a bit first," Eleanor suggested. "Agreed," Anthony accepted. The girls sat down and closed their eyes, taking the opportunity to rest for a moment and recharge their energies.
Meanwhile, I exited the cave to explore the area further. The cold air filled my lungs as I ventured into the snowy landscape that stretched out before me. Anthony hoped to get lucky and encounter an unfortunate group that could give him their points.
*****
"It was a good day today!" exclaimed the girl excitedly as she looked at the points they had managed to accumulate.
(Group 24: Total points: 500)
The boy beside her laughed joyfully. "You're right! For the first day, it's not bad at all." The three of them had been lucky; they encountered five E-rank creatures, although it took some effort to deal with them. In the end, with some injuries, they managed to claim their points. Now they were under a large rock, where they had dug a hole to shelter themselves for the night.
The cold was increasing, but the fire they had lit kept them relatively comfortable.
The other boy was roasting some kind of yellowish meat over the flames. "Plus, we managed to find food!" he added enthusiastically. "Definitely, we'll do very well in this event."
All three of them belonged to the Pegasus class and were in good spirits. After a while, they shared the food and relaxed as they began to discuss their plans for the next day.
"I think for tomorrow we should explore the forests a bit more before leaving the area," suggested the girl as she looked at the map on the screen. "We're 20 kilometers away from being able to move on to the next region."
"You're right! Plus, we'd also be getting closer to the border. With every step we take, the map gets smaller," the boy commented eagerly.
The girl stood up with determination. "It's settled then!" she exclaimed, radiating energy and anticipation. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, but suddenly, her expression turned grim. A horizontal line of red color formed around her delicate neck. In an instant, her head was severed from her body, leaving a trail of confusion and fear in her eyes.
Her head fell into the snow with a soft thud, while her body trembled slightly and fell to the ground. Blood began to stain the white snow, creating a striking contrast of colors in the tranquil landscape. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
The other two boys stood stunned, aware that they had been discovered, but it was too late to react. Suddenly, their shelter turned dark, engulfing them in overwhelming darkness. A sensation of oppression crushed them, making it difficult to breathe. The cloak of darkness prevented any sound from escaping the environment, plunging everything into an ominous and disturbing silence.
*****
Meanwhile, Anthony reappeared in the cave, holding a ring and some useful items he had obtained during his exploration. He inspected the ring and noticed it contained meat and some other items, such as the swords that had belonged to the previous group, as well as the girl's wand. Anthony nodded satisfactorily; it had been a good idea to go exploring.
As he approached their location, Anthony could perceive the noise the boys were making inside, as well as noticing the anomaly in the cold air caused by the bonfire. He decided to confront them but without causing them pain. Although they were immersed in a virtual reality, the sense of pain was very real, and Anthony was not an insensitive person.
Besides, he didn't know the boys and didn't want to harm them more than necessary.