Starting with the goblin extermination

Chapter 112 Undercurrents and Ambiguity

"Greetings, Lord Alaron," said the blond Slank. He waved, and the obedient half-elf emerged from the shadows with his eyes closed, arriving at the center of the dimly lit hall.

The red-haired old man, known as Alaron, did not respond, but simply nodded. He walked unhurriedly to the half-elf and, to Slank's astonishment, lifted the half-elf's tightly closed eyelids.

For an instant.

A blinding white light flashed from the front, instantly illuminating the entire hall in every detail.

This is God's protection.

Slank tried to suppress the fervor in his heart, fearing that he would lose control and kneel before this twisted inhuman being, thus desecrating his pure faith in God.

"They are merely God's lowly tools! Tools!"

Slank kept emphasizing this in his mind. Even with absolute loyalty, even if forcibly brainwashed, even if well-trained, even if blessed by God, a filthy alien species is still an alien species.

They are merely consumables used by believers as devout as themselves, just as they are today.

The old man named Alaron released his grip. The blinding white light vanished instantly, and the half-elf remained frozen in place, motionless.

He nodded in satisfaction, and a thick, long silver needle instantly appeared in his hand. With a flick of his arm, the needle pierced the half-elf's brow without any resistance, leaving only a shallow end sticking out.

The half-elf's stiff face finally revealed a look of pain.

"Start the test."

As soon as Alaron finished speaking, four solemn-looking spellcasters emerged from the shadows around them. They gripped their staffs tightly and, with the half-elf at the center, spread out to the four corners, beginning to chant mysterious incantations.

A white ring emerged from the ground, initially appearing to be an ordinary magic circle. However, after calming down slightly, Slank realized that it actually contained countless writhing golden runes. This constantly rotating ring contained immeasurable power. His gaze followed the ring as it contracted and contracted further, and he saw that the golden runes within the ring were also tightening, overlapping, and gradually climbing up the half-elf's body.

The chanting continued, and the spellcasters in the corner growled, their staffs tapping rhythmically on the ground as they watched the trembling, writhing half-elf before them. Golden runes swarmed across his skin like countless dark golden maggots. The half-elf couldn't help but open his eyes, a holy white light illuminating Alaron's aged face.

Various horrific mutations began to proliferate wildly on the half-elf's body.

At first, it was just a small bump—a finger-sized nodule throbbing beneath the skin… Then, a fist-sized, fleshy mass sprang out from under his ribs! His clothes were torn to shreds, revealing a pale, sharp claw. The half-elf gritted his teeth and tore his lips, enduring the agony of this deformed limb.

The spellcasters around them began to raise their voices, and the second-circle spell [Silencer] they had set up in advance emboldened them to shout at the top of their lungs.

The mutation grew larger and faster. The half-elf's body was stretched like putty, its spine cracking like popping beans. One after another, pale white claws burst from its twisted body! Accompanied by its head violently twisting 360 degrees in its neck, its screams grew sharper and sharper, its body grew longer and longer, and its claws multiplied.

The entire hall began to feel cramped. The half-elf's ever-growing serpentine body was now firmly pressed against the ceiling, while the white ring beneath its feet gradually disappeared.

Slank stared at the enormous, filthy monster before him. In the dim light, the oppressive aura emanating from its terrifying body made him feel completely overwhelmed.

This is a killing tool with a challenge level of four—

Dragons and snakes.

The [Flesh Aberration] spell, cast by four spellcasters in concert, combined with the flesh extracted from the humanoid relic and silver needles made from the reverse scales of dragons and snakes, created the monster before us.

Slank was proud of the power of the gods, but his body instinctively felt a deep fear of the monster before him.

It is not a plaything; it has been, and still is, the absolute ruler deep within the ruins of Tallinn.

At this moment, the enormous dragon head that had just awakened was completely driven by extreme hunger. Its pupil-less white eyes were fixed on the humans in the hall, and scorching flames began to accumulate wildly in its mouth full of sharp teeth.

Slank was helpless in the face of all this, with nowhere to escape, and could only stare blankly.

But Alaron was right beside him.

"Stand still."

The proud red-haired old man didn't turn around; this was the first time he had spoken to Slank that evening.

Then.

boom!

The withered old man suddenly sprang to his feet.

boom!

With a single punch, the dragon-serpent's head snapped to one side! The deafening sound of bones shattering echoed throughout the hall. The nearly formed ball of fire in its mouth was instantly extinguished, turning into wisps of black smoke.

The dragon-serpent let out a piercing wail, its claws flailing wildly, its massive body pressing down on the entire hall. The spellcaster, standing in the corner, was still chanting incantations, narrowly avoiding the dragon-serpent's outstretched forelimbs.

Meanwhile, Alaron had appeared on the dragon-snake's massive neck at some point, his legs gripping the scales tightly. With his eyes wide open, he precisely located the silver needle embedded between his eyebrows amidst the violent jolts.

With a soft "plop," the silver needle was pulled out by Alaron, drawing out a stream of bright red blood. The dragon-snake let out a shriek, and then its massive body rapidly contracted like a deflated balloon. Slank felt the oppressive feeling in front of him gradually weaken until it completely dissipated.

The dragon and serpent had completely disappeared, leaving only the unconscious half-elf behind.

Under Slank's shocked gaze, Alaron patted him on the shoulder.

"The preparations are perfect. The plan will begin in a week."

Alaron's eyes gleamed with determination as he glanced at the half-elf.

"Once the joint expedition begins, those adventurers swarming into the forest like flies will be the best feed for this thing." Alaron withdrew his gaze, gave Slank's shoulder a firm squeeze, "Well done, Slank. Once the seal is completely broken, I will personally recommend you to headquarters. You are no longer needed here; you deserve the glory you are due."

"Praise be to God! Even if I were to be shattered to pieces, I would go through fire and water for you, Lord Araraun!"

Slank trembled all over, tears welling in his eyes, feeling that all the grievances and resentments of the past had vanished in that moment.

Was his mission about to be completed? Coming from his distant homeland to the new continent, he had previously hated himself for not being able to win the honor of dying on the battlefield with fearless charges like his comrades back home, nor for being able to devour a country like his comrades in the North, nor for not being able to kill more of the filthy alien races.

He understood that everything he did was for the mission, because he had heard God's gentle words in his dreams—

"Give me the continent of Babylon."

On the other side, in the Ash Forest, inside a cave where they would spend the night.

Logan felt a little short of breath.

Two soft yet heavy objects pressed firmly against his face, while behind him, he was tightly wrapped like a sloth, with long legs wrapped around his waist, hot breath spraying on his back, and his thighs feeling heavy, as if a strong and powerful leg was resting on them without any restraint.

He shook his head; everything went black, and he felt like he was suffocating.

Logan instinctively reached out to push away, only to find his head being tightly encircled by someone with astonishing strength, and he could faintly hear nasal sounds coming from in front of him.

Logan was startled and finally came to his senses.

In the dim light, he could see that the person in front of him was none other than Ellis.

Logan was covering something, something he couldn't quite grasp.

.

Ellis had his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed, and his lips bitten until they were almost white; he was clearly still asleep. Elsa was hugging him tightly from behind, her face buried in the center of his back, her lips lightly touching his clothes, seemingly kissing him unconsciously in her sleep.

Before Logan could even pull his hand away...

"Um.

""

Ellis suddenly opened her eyes sleepily and muttered, "Sylvie, you damn slut... you touched me while I was asleep again... believe me or not, I'll pin you to the ground..."

""

She stopped abruptly mid-sentence. Ellis was now fully awake. She looked down at the large, clearly masculine hands, then at Logan's handsome face so close to hers, and her face instantly flushed red.

The air seemed to freeze.

Logan froze, feeling so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground. He tried to pull his hand away, but Elsa hugged him even tighter from behind, her little mouth unconsciously rubbing against his back. Logan was so frightened that he dared not make any sudden movements, afraid of waking Elsa up.

Ellis opened her mouth, her voice extremely low.

...Logan? What the hell are you doing...?

'

"I also wanted to ask you," Logan said in a very low voice, tinged with helplessness and embarrassment, "why did you roll over here?"

Ellis's face turned bright red, but she tried to remain calm and explained in a low voice.

"The cave is too small... I've never been a good sleeping person..."

"As she spoke, she subconsciously tried to step back, but because she was too nervous, her body leaned forward instead, pressing heavily on Logan's hand again. Logan could hear a slight friction sound.

The two of them stared wide-eyed.

Logan felt a burning sensation, perhaps from the hard, protruding rocks in the cave that were making him uncomfortable. His Adam's apple bobbed violently, while Ellis trembled all over, biting her lip to keep from making a sound. She stared intently at Logan, her eyes filled with both shame and panic.

Elsa stirred slightly behind Logan, as if she was about to wake up.

Ellis tensed up instantly, her mind going blank. She whispered almost pleadingly, "I...I'm sorry...it was just an accident...please don't move..."

'

Logan took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice calm.

"I know, but you'd better... take your legs off me first."

Ellis then realized that her thigh was still draped over his. Her face flushed red, and she frantically tried to move away, but the more she tried, the worse she got. Because of the sudden movement, she had just escaped his grasp, and now her thigh was sliding heavily across his palm again, Logan feeling the strange sensation of the stone rubbing against her.

The two froze simultaneously. In that instant, only the suppressed sound of breathing filled the cave.

Logan...

""

Elsa whispered softly behind Logan, and Ellis immediately shut her mouth in fright, but her eyes remained fixed on Logan's face, filled with shame, nervousness, and a trace of unknown emotion that she herself could not explain.

Logan finally seized the fleeting moment and slowly withdrew his hands.

But at the last moment, my fingertip accidentally grazed it.

"Hmm!"

Ellis trembled slightly, then suddenly bit her lower lip hard, tears welling up in her eyes. She glared at Logan, but couldn't utter a word.

Just then, Sylvie suddenly smacked her lips and rolled over a short distance away.

The two of them froze simultaneously.

"Damn it...it's so noisy."

""

Sylvie fell into a deep sleep again.

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, but neither dared to move again. Ellis stiffly moved her legs, turned her back, and curled up into a ball, pretending to be asleep.

The sky gradually brightened.

When Elsa and Sylvie slowly awoke, all they saw was Iris lying on her side, legs tightly pressed together, feigning sleep, and Logan sitting in a slightly unnatural, stiff posture.

Nobody knows what happened.

Only Logan himself knew that the burning sensation still lingered on his fingertips.

The group quickly finished breakfast, packed their belongings, and continued their full-speed advance towards the [Twisted Wood Forest].

Along the way, Logan and Ellis continued to talk and discuss tactics as usual, as if the farce of last night had never happened.

But occasionally, when the two make eye contact, Ellis will unconsciously turn her head away.

"Damn, this is embarrassing," Logan sighed helplessly, brushing aside the branches blocking his way.