Chapter 283: Trap
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
Kieran's face turned serious, not because of the man's provocative words, but because of the dozens of malicious gazes around him.
Their killing intent was even sharper and more bone-piercing than the winter sea breeze.
Was this a trap?
At the thought, Kieran glanced over at the man that was behaving like a pierret.
The next words that came out of the man's mouth sounded even more provocative, confirming Kieran's suspicions.
"Before Nikorei disappeared, she was considered the strongest shaman on the West Coast! Now I, the great Trysker, will become the strongest shaman on the West Coast! It's only natural that you would become my assistant!" the man named Trysker said relentlessly. He seemed to want to provoke anyone who listened.
Kieran looked like he was staring at Trysker, but he was actually looking at the police officers behind him, who had been scolded by the man.
It was where the malicious gaze was coming from.
"Are they mystics?"
When Kieran noticed the weapons concealed beneath their uniforms, he knew.
Although he was unsure whether they would dare ambush him out in the open, he knew it was time to shut that guy up.
It was not like Kieran to listen to comments like that quietly.
Besides, if their enemies had sent this stupid guy to cause them trouble, they would not just give up like that.
Bang!
Kieran launched a kick at the man without hesitation.
The kick, which contained Kieran's full force, landed hard on the guy's chest.
That horrible face of his was stunned at first, but then his expression turned into extreme delight. That delight did not even last for a fraction of a second though. When Kieran's boots landed hard against his chest, his delight was replaced by horror.
Crack! Crack!
The force field barrier cracked first, followed by the continuous cracking of his bones. It sounded like the God of Death twittering. Trysker did not understand until he died how his force field barrier, which could even block bullets, was so easily crushed by Kieran's casual kick.
As a native, Trysker would never understand the formidable power of Transcendence Level [Hand-to-Hand Combat, Kick Combat].
The Transcendence Effect [Kick Combat] granted Kieran's kicks an additional Strength and Agility buff of +4 temporarily as his kicks landed.
Kieran's B- Strength and C+ Agility had been boosted up to A and A- respectively in a moment.
That kind of Strength and Agility exceeded the common abilities of a normal being.
Plus, the Transcendence options had also granted him an attack buff of +1.
Even a Powerful Level force field barrier could not withstand that kind of kick, let alone an Average barrier.
Bang!
Trysker's body was sent flying, crashing hard by the side of the Sunshine Mary.
A layer of the force field barrier prevented his body from crashing directly against the ferry's body, but it did not stop Trysker from dying. Instead, it sped up his gruesome death.
The defensive force field barrier was not just hard. It also had the power to bounce the body back. When Trysker's body crashed against the force field barrier, the rebounding force pushed his body back with a force stronger than the force of impact.
Thanks to the two additional forces of pressure, his dying body, which was already suffering from broken bones and crushed organs, was crushed completely.
He was like beans being poured into a stone grinder. As the grinder moved, the beans were mashed with a clear cracking noise.
Blood poured down like rain along with pieces of flesh.
The other mystical individuals that were harboring ill intentions were all overwhelmed by what they were seeing. They never would have thought that things would go south.
Trysker had been chosen to provoke Kieran because he was a mystical consultant and his magical items could withstand a bullet.
Trysker relied on his items to promote his magical career on the West Coast. Who would have thought that he would get killed by Kieran with only one kick, his whole body getting destroyed in the process.
Instantly, every other mystical individual present felt chills going down their spines. Some of them regretted being there. They had taken that bastard's word for it and turned up, but it was too late for them now.
Kieran was already dashing towards them with [Arrogant Word].
The dark red great sword was whipped up with an air-breaking slash, aimed directly towards them as Kieran wielded it skillfully.
The first three mystics that were the closest to Kieran were all slashed in half from the waist up, followed closely by those behind them.
Kieran had no intention of sparing anyone, or giving them even a second to breathe.
Enemies were always better dead, especially enemies from the mystical realm.
The slightest misstep would allow them to counterattack with an unknown method.
Therefore, Kieran had decided to surprise them with a one-sided massacre.
After about 20 seconds, the entire Golden Beach was dyed red.
The bodies of the mystics that had been disguised as police officers were scattered all over the beach, a green glow shining over them.
Schmidt widened his eyes at the astonishing scene. He was no idiot after all.
When Trysker had provoked Kieran, he had felt that something was off. When Kieran had attacked the uniformed police officers, he had realized they were not his subordinates.
It had been a trap! A trap set up specifically for Kieran.
Schmidt wanted to walk forward instinctively, but as soon as he lifted his leg, he was stopped by Kieran.
"STOP! Get away from the beach!" he shouted at Schmidt.
Kieran quickly glanced over the beach. The people he had killed had not been the masterminds of the attack. After the incident the day before, if they had not had sufficient confidence, they would not have dared attack him.The strength they had displayed did not justify having such confidence, so there must have been someone who had given them the confidence to attack.
"Who is this person?"
As Kieran thought about it, his expression became even more vigilant. He was holding [Arrogant Word] horizontally, maintaining a vigilant stance.
Schmidt quickly backed off, his trust for Kieran making him listen to his words without hesitation, even though he had doubts in his heart.
As reality had proved, trust was an essential element in their relationship.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Just as Schmidt left the beach, black tentacles as wide as a water barrel and dozens of meters long spurted out of the sand one after the other.
The chilling winter wind became even colder when the black tentacles appeared.
A negative energy mist started to spread, covering the whole beach.
Amidst the blurry mist, nine big fat tentacles were dancing high in the air, stirring up the mist around them.
It looked like a sea monster was about to emerge from the sea.
Contrary to expectations though, what appeared was a number of human figures, one after the other.
When Kieran saw their faces clearly, he was shocked.
Schmidt, who had run off the beach, screamed in shock when he saw one of the figures' faces.
"LOUVER!"
Chapter 284: The Hex Labyrinth
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
It was not just Louver. The other patients and staff of the Gordon Recovery Center had also appeared in their doctor robes, nurse uniforms and patient outfits.
It was revealed that all the people in the recovery center had been used as vessels to raise demons.
They were divided into nine groups with different numbers.
They all gathered around their respective tentacles. Bloody, vein-like tubes poked into their bodies, sucking non stop at an unknown substance.
The black tentacles were getting stronger and more powerful. They were even growing longer. The people being sucked at by the veins had no consciousness of their own. They were like zombies piled up together.
The only difference was that Louver was tethered to a single black tentacle by himself. The other tentacles had seven to twelve people tethered to them.
"Is it because he is gifted?" Kieran muttered.
The biggest difference between Louver and the others was that Louver had the gift of spell-casting.
What concerned Kieran the most though was the meaning of their arrival.
The person raising the demons in the Gordon Recovery Center had appeared.
He was also targeting the Sunshine Mary!
The explosives he had set up at the recovery center had been meant to break the defenses of the Sunshine Mary!
However, when Kieran had appeared, their plan had been messed up. That was why that person had contacted other mystical individuals with ill intentions. The ones Kieran had just wiped out…
"Wait! I was wrong! If they wanted to kill me, they wouldn't have sat back and watched me kill everyone like that! Even though those goons were not strong, they could still have stalled me. Instead, they let them die like that…"
The gears in Kieran's head were spinning as fast as lightning. When his gaze landed on the Sunshine Mary, he shivered uncontrollably. He had thought of a theory that would explain the situation.
"The Sunshine Mary! They are here for the ferry! Even without the explosives, they had another alternative!"
As for what alternative they had decided to use, if Kieran had to guess, it would have been the bodies!
The Golden Beach had dead bodies scattered all over it that hadn't been there before.
Just as Kieran thought about it, the blood and pieces of flesh floated up and flew towards the Sunshine Mary. Kieran instinctively wanted to stop them, but the nine tentacles, which looked like a sea monster's claws, exploded, contradicting his theory.
BOOM!
When the tentacles exploded, no blood or juice came from them.
They were torn into pieces and lines of black substance, like a sentient shadow, as they spread all over the beach.
The shadow encaged the whole beach, with Kieran inside it.
"2567!" Schmidt, who was away from the beach, shouted at Kieran, pulling out his gun.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired shots repeatedly, but when the bullets hit the black cage, they vanished like a clay animal plunging into the sea.
Schmidt scattered a tube of special powder across the black cage. That special powder had been very useful against spirit-like beings and could even cause lethal damage to them. It was useless this time though.
It only had a small effect. Schmidt's action caused a reaction. The shadow turned into a black mouth and swallowed him whole.
...
Darkness enveloped Kieran.
He felt like he was sinking in quicksand. It was hard to move around. The hand wielding [Arrogant Word] felt like it was wielding a small mountain. He was barely able to move it.
The feeling on Kieran's feet assured him that he was still on the beach, but the changes to his surroundings were…
"Is it the demons?" Kieran guessed
He plunged [Arrogant Word] into the sand in front of him, one hand gripping the hilt while the other reached for the tube of [Holy Water VIII].
The faint glow of [Holy Water VIII] made it shine brightly in the darkness.
Although the sinking sensation was gone, the darkness wasn't.
It still lingered as Kieran smeared [Holy Water VIII] onto [Arrogant Word].
The smearing process was not a pleasant one. Even though Kieran tried his best not to touch the liquid directly with his skin, despite the layer of his shirt between them, he still felt the burn of [Holy Water VIII].
[Body of Evil] had granted Kieran a lot of benefits, but it had also enhanced his weaknesses.
Kieran could no longer touch [Holy Water VIII] directly.
The [Bullets of Blessing] were better. If they were not shot at him, a mere touch of a bullet would make him uneasy, but it would not hurt him.
"Not a demon? Than what is this?" Kieran frowned.
The black tentacles struck him like a demon. They shared the same negative energy and chaotic feeling after all. The scene before Kieran proved him wrong though.
Although there was negative energy around him, the darkness had not originated from the negative energy itself. Otherwise, [Holy Water VIII] would have been effective.
Maybe…
"Am I hitting the wrong place?" Kieran moved quickly as he thought of that.
[Arrogant Word] in combination with [Holy Water VIII] made Kieran look like he was wielding a giant torch as he ventured into the darkness.
After walking for 20 seconds, according to Kieran's memory, he had to be away from the beach by now. The sand under his feet told him he was still in it though.
The darkness around him was getting denser by the second.
"Is it an illusion?" Kieran checked his battlelog, but nothing had come up.
"No damage, so no notifications?"
It was not the first time Kieran had come across such a situation with the system, so he did not panic. He knew panicking would do him no good in that situation. Keeping calm was the only way out of this pinch.
Kieran quickly made a mark with his foot and moved on. He did not look forward this time. Instead, he stared at his feet.
After three seconds, he halted. He had seen the same mark he had just made.
"Could it be sensory confusion? The darkness is clouding my vision, preventing me from locating any visible markings. I think I am moving in a straight line, but I am actually moving in circles..."
Kieran drew a deep breath helplessly as he made sure it was the mark he had just made.
He knew what was going on. He was in a maze!
Kieran had read a book titled "The Hex Labyrinth" back in Nikorei's library, which described exactly the situation before him.
The book had seemed like a book on the mystical but it was just describing some interesting phenomenon and actually fell into the category of books Kieran was able to understand.
He had gone through the whole book out of curiosity, so he knew what he had to do to leave that maze.
Chapter 285: Lair
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
He had to jump high.
Or even fly if it was possible!
Without any reference point on the ground, instinct could deceive oneself when one was in a miasma maze. A change of altitude would make the reference point reappear though.
That was the true identity of the miasma maze! It would become one's best reference to getting out of there.
Of course, in the book "Hex Labyrinth" it was also stated how to prevent such an escape and trap the person inside forever.
Fortunately, although the darkness around Kieran had taken similar precautious, it was not complete.
Its height was far beyond the reach of any mortal being, but it was still a piece of cake for Kieran.
Kieran adjusted his body and jumped as high as he could.
The darkness around him instantly dissipated as he jumped higher than the maze.
...
"Damn it!"
Schmidt quickly reloaded his gun. This was the last magazine he had brought with him.
If he had known that he would encounter such a monster, he would have brought a flamethrower instead.
Unconsciously, Schmidt thought of Kieran's big backpack and the various weapons inside it.
He even considered whether he should have brought a backpack similar to Kieran's, but that was a question for another day. If he didn't solve the problem at hand, he would not get to live another day.
Bang!
The muzzle flashed brightly as the smell of gunpowder lingered around Schmidt.
A spider the size of a knuckle was blasted to pieces, but more spiders emerged from below the deck.
When the sharp spider legs collided with the wooden deck, a concentrated, flesh-creeping noise was produced.
The black spider on the deck stared at Schmidt with all of its eyes.
Its eyes were emitting a pale green glow, which made Schmidt's forehead break out in sweat.
Schmidt did not fire anymore. He knew firing more shots would only prolong his struggle against the giant spiders.
"The cabin! I need to get to the cabin to get out of here alive!"
The calmness that came after many years of being the Chief Officer allowed Schmidt to make good judgement calls at desperate times.
He took out a palm-sized pure silver pot similar to a teapot and poured out a little of the liquid.
When the giant spiders closed in on him, he lit the liquid up.
The fire instantly sprung up to the height of a human being.
The marching spiders immediately stopped before the fire. Although they had been through some kind of mutation, their insect instincts were still present.
Actually, they were even more powerful. Their hunger and urge to hunt made them more aggressive than normal insects, but also more scared of fire.
Schmidt had created a window of survival for himself. He quickly backed into the cabin and searched for the stairs.
He knew that, although the fire was fierce, it wouldn't stall the spiders for long.
"This is the second floor of the Sunshine Mary. There's a swimming pool, a dance floor and a big restaurant inside… No, no, no, this place is too wide open! No way will I be able to block the spiders from here! I need to find a sturdy, narrow space…"
Given the circumstances, Schmidt's options were limited, and the most reliable one was…
"The captain's cabin! The captain's cabin on the third floor!"
Schmidt sprinted towards his destination as fast as he could.
The fire behind him was dimming by the second.
When the fire turned into a spark and was eventually extinguished, hundreds of giant spiders gushed through.
...
"So this is the Sunshine Mary?"
Standing on the deck, Kieran checked out the ferry.
The darkness had dissipated as he'd jumped up high, but a powerful, violent pulling force had dragged him down before he could react and landed him on the Sunshine Mary's deck.
The force field barrier that prevented people from approaching had suddenly disappeared.
"This must be the first floor deck. The Sunshine Mary has three floors. The passenger cabins are on the first one, and the restaurant and the dance floor are on the second one. There's a lot of space there. Unless I had tons of manpower, it would be impossible for me to search the area thoroughly in such a short time. I can only investigate some locations I choose and perform a search with a specific goal!"
Kieran recalled Schmidt's description of the ferry as he scanned the area around him.
After comparing all his options, he quickly came up with a destination. He would go to the captain's cabin!
A captain's cabin was the most important place on the ship.
Not only was the captain the highest authority on a ship, but the cruising log and all valuables would also be stored inside his cabin.
If the secrets of the Sunshine Mary were hidden anywhere, it would be there!
Kieran needed to get a good rating for the Sub Mission [Ghost Ferry], so the captain's cabin was naturally his first choice.
He instantly got moving, but he did not use the stairs to reach the upper deck. He chose a more direct way instead.
He backed up a few steps, ran and then jumped towards the second deck.
While he was still in mid-air, the jumping force started to fade off. He swung the [Deceiver's Key] and used the hair-like tool to latch onto the second deck handrail.
Before he could fall, he pulled hard with his hand and dragged his body up onto the deck.
"Huh?"
When Kieran reached the upper deck, he was stunned.
His nose picked up a rotten fish stench. When his eyes followed the smell to its origin, he saw bits and pieces of… Was that a spider?
Kieran was unsure what he was looking at. The spider was bigger than a common spider. It was actually bigger than any species Kieran knew off.
He was sure such a species was not found in [Research of Mystical Beings].
Its sharp legs and foul-smelling juices proved as much.
The insect's legs were as sharp as blades and its juices were venomous.
The venom would not just numb its prey, but deliver a small lethal dose.
[Potionology] and [Medical and Medicinal Knowledge]'s Master of Poison confirmed his theory.
"So this has become a spider's lair?"
Kieran glanced over the eight dead spiders.
When his [Tracking] was activated, he saw the traces left behind by the group of spiders. There was a burn mark and a set of footprints. A simple glance was enough to know that there were hundreds of spiders.
The bullet mark and the footprints led Kieran to believe that Schmidt was also aboard the Sunshine Mary.
"That fella!" Kieran shook his head with a sigh.
Although he still could not determine how Schmidt had gotten on board, he could guess why he had. He wanted to save him.
Given Schmidt's personality, it was normal for him to do something like this.
"So troublesome!" Kieran muttered under his breath.
Then he changed his own plan and followed the traces into the cabins.
If Schmidt had gone there for him, Kieran could not leave him in danger.
However, as he approached the cabin swiftly, a weak voice suddenly came out of it.
"2… 2567! Help!"
Schmidt was crawling out of the cabin, his body covered in blood.