Bailey never expected that while she aimed to deal with Adrian, he didn't even bother to make a move himself. General Hydro and General Pyro—two ninth-level powerhouses—were more than capable of subduing her.Swish swish!Two chains swept over, and in an instant, Bailey was bound. She struggled incessantly, attempting to break free from their restraint. But no matter how hard she struggled, the chains remained unmoved. She was unable to escape.Bailey grimaced in anger. "Damn it!" she cursed.Adrian maintained a cold smile. "Now let's see where you run off to."Bailey smirked in response. "Hehehe, do you think you can defeat me by doing this? If I'm going to die, I'll drag this little girl down to hell with me!""Is that so?" Adrian sneered.Ash then appeared and unsheathed his Doomcleaver.Slice!The Doomcleaver struck Bailey's throat. However, instead of blood, a shadow flew out from inside her body. It was the monster possessing Bailey. Struck by the Doomcleaver, it sought
At that moment, the girl named Safiya Klines nodded, then added, "I do have another identity though. I am the leader of the Special Operations Team of the garrison."This revelation surprised Adrian. ‘What? She's the leader of the Special Ops Team? But she's so young,’ he thought as his mouth hung open in astonishment.Clayton, also taken aback, stuttered, "Sa-Safiya… Y-You..." He struggled to form a coherent sentence.Adrian assessed Safiya. Considering her age, he would have never expected this girl to be so strong. After some observation, he could tell that she was at the intermediate eighth level. Even Nathaniel, whom Adrian knew to be a pinnacle eighth level, was not as strong as Safiya.It was remarkable that someone so young could achieve such a high level. No wonder Safiya was made the leader of the Special Ops Team.Just then, Bailey's parents approached, asking, "Bailey? Bailey, are you okay?" They gently took Bailey from Safiya's hands. With evident concern on their fac
"Nope," Adrian immediately replied, declining Nathaniel's request."Don't worry, I'm not here to recruit you into the garrison," Nathaniel clarified.Adrian halted, eyeing Nathaniel distrustfully.Noticing Adrian's suspicion, Nathaniel stepped closer, insisting, "I'm being truthful. I have no intention of recruiting you. I simply need your assistance.""Fine, go ahead," Adrian conceded reluctantly. He knew Nathaniel wouldn't give up easily; refusing here wouldn't deter him from seeking Adrian out elsewhere. Realizing he couldn't evade trouble forever, Adrian decided to hear Nathaniel out."Come, come! This way!" Nathaniel said eagerly, extending his hand and gesturing for Adrian to follow."You know each other?" Safiya interjected, approaching Adrian and Nathaniel."We're acquainted," Adrian replied, and Nathaniel gave Safiya some brief instructions.With Adrian reluctantly following, the trio departed from the scene. After some time, they arrived at a spacious garden."Mr. Ad
"Sure, and thank you. I'm truly grateful," Nathaniel said as though Adrian had rescued him from a dire situation. Overflowing with gratitude, he appeared almost relieved."Don't thank me. It's my duty," Adrian replied in a righteous tone."I'll pick you up from your shop tomorrow morning then?" Nathaniel confirmed."Sure," Adrian agreed.With the matter settled, Adrian returned to his shop. In the evening, he gathered Ash, General Hydro, General Pyro, Daybreak, and Stygian. The little studio suddenly became crowded."I've gathered you all here for a very important matter," Adrian began, then recounted Nathaniel's earlier request. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the situation than met the eye."How did Mapleston suddenly become infested with monsters? And how are there numerous ninth-level monsters? Doesn't that strike you as odd?" Adrian questioned the group.However, the rest shook their heads, seemingly unperturbed. Daybreak, in particular, scratched his h
"Stop right there!" Adrian shouted, unleashing a fierce blow at the figure. The person attempted to flee, but Adrian was relentless, swiftly closing the distance. Ash and the others swiftly surrounded the individual, leaving no avenue for escape."Who are you? Why were you lurking around my shop?" Adrian demanded in a fury.The person merely grinned in response, refusing to answer Adrian's inquiry. Adrian observed the figure's peculiar appearance. Obscured by some sort of shadow, the person’s true identity remained indiscernible."You dare laugh at a time like this?!" Adrian's fury intensified upon seeing the other person’s mocking smile. Determined to impart a lesson, he commanded, "Daybreak, Stygian!""Roger," they responded in unison, stepping forward to assist. They launched their coordinated attacks at the dark figure. Despite being human, Daybreak and Stygian possessed ninth-level strength, making subduing the individual effortless.However, the figure emitted a strange
Adrian attempted to glean some information through soul probing, but this proved futile. "I believe this individual is affiliated with a formidable faction," he concluded after a moment of contemplation."We're out of our depth here. Our apologies for the lack of useful insights," Daybreak, Stygian, and the others confessed, unable to offer any significant input.Adrian harbored no resentment toward them, understanding the complexity of the situation. However, Ash appeared troubled, his furrowed brow hinting at a revelation."What's troubling you?" Adrian inquired, sensing Ash's unease.Ash responded, "I've just recalled an organization. It's possible this person has ties to them."Adrian's interest was piqued. "What organization?"Ash hesitated before answering, "I'm not entirely certain, but we call them the dark monster hunters.""The dark monster hunters?" Adrian mused, hearing the name for the first time."They're dubbed as such due to their opposition to righteous hunters
"Is this all the manpower the garrison has? How could you send a little girl like her to undertake such a dangerous mission?" Adrian asked. "I'm not a little girl! I'm the leader of the garrison army's Special Ops!" Safiya retorted."Well, we’re pretty understaffed right now. Since the disaster caused by the mysterious monster king, the monster hunter force in Mapleston has suffered a serious blow. The people gathered here are the strongest people we have," Nathaniel explained."You don't have to explain anything to him, Mr. Nathaniel," Safiya huffed."We might come to a long-term cooperation in the future, so it's better to get to know each other better now, isn't it?" Nathaniel said. Knowing Adrian possessed considerable power, he saw him as a promising candidate for collaboration.Suddenly, Adrian shouted, "Watch out!"Everyone turned to look in the direction he was looking and were stunned by what greeted their eyes: a shockwave hurriedly sweeping toward them. They never exp
There were over a hundred corpses strewn all over the village grounds. "Wh-What the hell happened here?" someone exclaimed, but no one answered him.What occurred here was painfully obvious—these villagers had been killed by fiend slaves."Damn it!" Nathaniel cursed. "We're too late!"Adrian remained calm. He bent down beside one of the corpses and examined it closely. Upon inspection, he noticed something peculiar about the bodies. Although these people were all dead, their appearances and clothes were relatively clean. It seemed that they had not been dead for long."Did they just die not long ago?" Nathaniel asked."I think so," Adrian replied."Let's search the area and see if we can find anything! I refuse to believe that whoever and whatever did this can escape just like that!" Nathaniel ordered."Yes, sir!" Nathaniel’s men were elites of the garrison, and they quickly sprung into action. Immediately, they scattered in different directions.Adrian also ordered Ash and