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n815 Super Augmentation

n815 Super Augmentation

nAs Wanak’s figure faded from the mirror’s surface, Lumian reluctantly stowed the books on his desk into his Traveler’s Bag.

nHe stood up, left the room, and walked to Julie’s door, knocking lightly twice.

nJulie quickly opened the door, hugging a blanket to her chest, her bare shoulders glowing like twin mounds of snow under the moonlight.

n“I wasn’t trying to harass you!” she said with a hint of anticipation.

nLumian spoke as if to himself, “Wanak has invited me to deal with Gusain and Albus together, right in the ruins of Dades Agricultural Company.”

nWithout waiting for Julie’s response, Lumian turned and walked down the stairs, merging into the darkness that enveloped the night.

n…

nInside a fog-filled hollow, in front of four statues facing each other, Gusain, wearing a silk top hat, said to Albus, who was clad in a black jacket with red stripes, “We can’t be sure if the clues about Wanak are bait. We might step into a trap later.”

nAlbus, hands in his pockets, chuckled. “That’s why we’re here. Whether there’s a trap or not, as long as we’re strong enough, we can invalidate their schemes and make them swallow the bitter fruit of their failure.”

nGusain nodded lightly. “Yes, I’ve heard a saying: no matter how many eggs band together, they can’t break a stone. What we need to do now is become that stone. Last time, we weren’t sure if we could pinpoint Wanak, so we didn’t risk activating the altar’s full power to avoid wasting it. Now, we can give Wanak a ‘surprise’.”

nAlbus chuckled. “Not using it last time was good. The illusion might have made Wanak gather all our targets together, allowing us to deal with them all at once.”

nLooking around, Albus sneered. “I thought Lumian would return here these days, so I had you leave the Lamp of Calamity on the altar to lure him into using it. I didn’t expect him to be such a coward.”

n“He should have been here,” Gusain said, showing detailed knowledge of the altar’s surroundings. “He tried multiple times to destroy the statues but failed. This led the altar to draw some power from the earth to repair itself, causing slight changes in the details. I didn’t expect him to resist the urge and call of the Lamp of Calamity and not light it on the spot. For the Hunter pathway, such self-control is rare.”

nAlbus lifted his chin. “You’d better perform the ritual now. Heh heh, and check the Lamp of Calamity to see if it’s been tampered with or has had something added to it. A Hunter not causing some damage would be unworthy of the pathway’s name.”

n“Are you underestimating my caution?” Gusain laughed, approaching the pedestal and picking up the lamp containing a semi-solid, semi-liquid pale yellow grease.

nHe carefully inspected it, sniffed its scent, and finally dipped his fingers into the lamp, touching the wick twice.

nGusain immediately withdrew his fingers, letting the white-hot flame ignite the pale yellow grease on them.

nThe scent of warmth, allure, dark fragrance, and rust quickly filled his nostrils. He half-closed his eyes, nodding slightly. “No problem.”

nAlbus laughed. “Where did you learn the method to create the Lamp of Calamity and the corresponding secret ritual? It’s quite fascinating.”

n“You’ll find out later. Once we finish this, we’ll be true companions,” Gusain replied with a smile.

nHe turned, facing the four statues and the Lamp of Calamity, and took a small blue iron soldier from a hidden pocket, placing it on the pedestal.

nIsn’t it just the Fourth Epoch Trier? What’s so hard to guess? Still keeping secrets… Companions, heh heh… Albus began to back away from Gusain, instinctively keeping a distance out of caution.

nFinally, Albus stopped about fifteen meters away, watching through the thick fog as Gusain lit the lamp, sat cross-legged on the ground, and entered Cogitation to complete the secret ritual.

nIn just over ten seconds, Gusain, surrounded by a seductive dark fragrance, “saw” a dense fog.

nUnlike the war fog in the hollow, this fog was tinged with a ghostly black hue, covering a city with no visible boundaries, only faint outlines.

nHalf-dazed, half-awake, Gusain floated to a familiar place.

nAfter some time, he reached a tall shadow-like tower and descended rapidly, entering its eerie, sinister base.

nHere, it seemed there was a well, blending into the darkness.

nGusain repeated the purpose of the ritual to fight off the increasing drowsiness.

nHe neared the well, gazing into it.

nHe then “saw” moss-covered stones and iron-black chains attached to the well’s walls. The engravings on the chains were blurred, hard to discern.

nI can now see the inside of the well’s walls?

nNever could before…

nThe ritual’s effectiveness is due to my proximity to the great existence?

nGusain felt a surge of joy.

nHe excitedly looked at the dark water in the well.

nThe water rippled lightly, gradually forming a figure.

nGusain strained to see, suddenly spotting patches of brown bark.

nThe bark was embedded in a face, bringing an indescribable horror.

nBark… Gusain was simultaneously frightened and puzzled.

nWhy would bark appear here?

nShouldn’t it be steel and blood?

nInstinctively, Gusain looked at his hands, finding patches of brown bark rising on his skin.

nWh- Gusain’s pupils dilated as he looked back at the well’s dark water surface.

nHe saw the reflected figure clearly.

nIt was himself!

nHis face was covered with mottled bark!

nThe next moment, the bark squirmed, sinking inward and turning flesh-colored.

nThey became wet spores embedded in flesh, blooming to release countless tiny naked figures.

nGusain’s terror broke its limits. He abruptly opened his eyes, breaking free from the ritual experience.

nHuff… Panting heavily, he saw the iron soldier on the pedestal rapidly expanding to three or four meters tall, its eyes iron-black instead of the burning dark-red.

nThe iron soldier’s spear was quickly covered in white-blue flames.

n“Success…” Gusain steadied himself, no longer tense.

nHe thought the anomaly was due to his proximity to the great existence, deepening the ritual experience, thus showing more details.

n“I’m stronger now…” Gusain stood up, extinguishing the Lamp of Calamity.

n“This is a soldier puppet with some of the Iron-blooded Knight’s power and status?” Albus walked back from a distance.

n“Yes, treat it as a weakened Iron-blooded Knight. It’s not something Wanak can compare to,” Gusain answered confidently.

nHe hadn’t yet examined the benefits and knowledge gained from the ritual.

nAlbus took a few steps and then stopped, looking at Gusain with a playful smile. “Your hair has grown.”

nMy hair has grown? Gusain turned his head, seeing his brown hair had grown to his cheeks from above his ears.

nHe suddenly had a guess:

nDid this ritual bring me closer to the Demoness pathway?

nWith this suspicion, he lowered his head.

nSure enough, his chest was slowly bulging, stretching his shirt, sweater, and coat.

nAt the same time, Gusain smelled a faint milky scent.

nMilky scent… Gusain was stunned.

nDoes the Demoness mutation cause this?

nHe was about to ask Albus about his changes when he saw his collaborator backing away.

nImmediately, Gusain felt the iron soldier behind him bending over, its head lowering to his ear with the sound of metal clashing and rubbing.

nThe iron soldier spoke with a metallic voice, softly calling, “Mother.”

n“Mother… Me?” Gusain, confused, looked down to see his abdomen swelling visibly.

nSeeing this, his mind buzzed, feeling as if he was reborn.

nAlbus, retreating slowly to avoid triggering anomalies, saw Gusain looking at him, smiling with maternal radiance, his blue eyes icy and sinister.

n…

nRumble!

nA massive explosion occurred in a district with a volcanic crater, sending a white fireball rolling into the sky, turning red, creating thick smoke.

nIn the ruins of Dades Agricultural Company, hidden in the underground chamber, Lumian and Wanak felt the near-earthquake-like disturbance.

nFrom the direction of the tremor, Lumian quickly guessed:

nThe hollow filled with war fog?

nA fierce explosion happened there?

nDid Albus and Gusain make some preparations before dealing with Wanak, lighting the lamp I tampered with, causing an accident?

nLumian immediately shouted to Wanak, “The situation has changed!”

nThen, he left the shadow state, teleporting to the corresponding district.

nHe didn’t choose the hollow entrance with war fog as his destination, fearing the explosion was a bait by Albus and Gusain!

nOnly a Hunter knew how treacherous a Hunter could be!

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