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nAfter about two minutes, two figures came into Nula and Howard’s view.

nThey were two Eternal Flame cultists cloaked in black, their faces hidden under hoods.

nThe two golden lines on their chests indicated they were merely ordinary cultists, the lowest rank within the Eternal Flame cult.

nThey hurried along without speaking to each other, heads down.

nHoward was confused by the sight, but Nula quickly understood the situation.

nIt seemed the initial three sentries she had killed had been discovered, and these two were likely en route to report to Duduro.

nBut Duduro would never hear their report.

n“Let’s keep moving, and pick up the pace!”

nWaiting for the two to pass, Nula whispered to Howard and continued forward.

nQuickening their pace out of the corridor, Nula and Howard entered the temple.

nThe scene seemed unchanged from when Nula had left; it was still crowded with black-robed figures bustling about, heads bowed.

nA few of them moved among the crowd, their faces covered with white masks.

n“Be careful, those moving black-robed figures are either level 3 or level 2 magi. If we get caught, it’s over for us.”

nWith that, Nula moved on.

nHoward, keeping an eye on the blurry figures in his vision, hastened to keep up.

nInstead of crossing through the center of the temple, Nula led Howard around the side.

nSince the passages were along the walls, they could enter the corridors without having to pass through the temple itself.

nPerhaps the several talismans of good fortune they carried were effective, as their operation had been smooth thus far.

nFollowing a cultist scheduled for rune signage delivery, Nula and Howard stealthily slipped into the corridor.

nThree figures moved silently through the passage, while Nula silently kept track of time.

nIf Duduro failed to respond for an extended period, the two cultists sent to report might grow suspicious, potentially putting the entire stronghold on high alert.

nNula found it odd that the cultists’ reactions seemed sluggish, making the stronghold appear less like a significant base.

nCould there be some hidden mechanism at play? But there was nothing of the sort in Duduro’s memories.

nThe cultist transporting the signage eventually stopped in front of a heavy iron door, with two cultists guarding outside.

nTheir emotionless eyes coldly scanned the transporter.

n“What’s the situation?” .

n“The 326th batch of materials, I’m here to store it.”

nThe transporting cultist unveiled the tarp on the cart, revealing neatly stacked rune signage underneath.

nThe guards glanced over, conducted a brief search of the cart, and then turned to unlock the iron door.

n“You know the rules. If you don’t come out within fifteen minutes, we’ll lock the door, and whether you can survive until it’s opened again is not our concern!” they said suddenly as the door opened.

nIs there danger inside?

nThe situation seemed somewhat different from what was expected.

nNula looked back at Howard, signaling with a gesture.

nThe plan remained unchanged: infiltrate.

nDespite feeling a bit uneasy, Howard understood this was not the time for hesitation.

nTaking advantage of the moment the cultist pushed the cart through the iron door, Nula and Howard closely followed.

nUnnoticed by the guards, they successfully passed through the iron door.

nBeyond the iron door lay a spacious hall, illuminated near the entrance by a single lamp hanging from the ceiling.

nThe rest of the space was engulfed in deep shadows.

nNula and Howard scanned the entire hall, barely making out shelves densely packed with inscribed rune signage on both sides, faintly glowing due to absorbed mana.

nThe cultist responsible for storing the signage stopped near the entrance, carefully attaching a small white lamp to himself, lifted a box of rune signage, and cautiously stepped into the darkness.

nThen, Howard heard the footsteps of a fourth person.

nSomeone else was hiding in the shadows.

nHoward glanced in Nula’s direction.

nThough he couldn’t see Nula’s expression, he could feel her gaze.

nBoth Howard and Nula wore expressions of utter surprise.

nWere there really guards in such a place?

nCould someone actually stay here for an extended period in an environment so rich in mana? .

nMana, while the source of all things, is harmful rather than beneficial to the human body in its pure form.

nLingering in such an environment would only lead to bodily mutations.

nNo one could resist such alterations.

nUnless, that individual wasn’t human at all.

nHoward slowly moved forward, standing still amid the light, watching as the cultist carefully placed box after box of rune signage on the shelves.

nThe footsteps of the fourth person sounded both far and near, yet Howard couldn’t pinpoint their exact location.

nHis gaze roamed the spacious hall; despite the dimness beyond the light, Howard could still see fairly clearly.

nHe found nothing, but the footsteps didn’t cease.

nAfter arranging the rune signage, the Eternal Flame cultist began tidying the cart, preparing to leave.

n“We should probably leave,” Nula’s voice suddenly whispered in Howard’s ear.

nHe didn’t respond, merely continuing to scan the surroundings.

nAs the sound of the cart’s wheels rolling started, Howard turned back to glance at the cultist pushing the cart away.

n“We can’t go!” Howard decisively rejected Nula’s suggestion.

n“It’s just intuition, but if we leave now, it’ll be much harder to get back in next time!”

nBefore Nula could respond, the heavy iron door behind them slammed shut with a resounding thud.

nSuddenly, additional lights flared to life, illuminating the entire hall.

nEven so, the footsteps persisted, and still, the source remained elusive.

nInstinctively, the two stood back to back in defense.

nThis situation unsettled not just Howard but even the worldly Nula.

nThe unknown is always the most terrifying.

n“Have you encountered anything like this before?”

nHoward glanced at Nula, whose face was expressionless, though Howard thought he detected a hint of panic in her eyes.

n“Well… seems not.”

n“Any suggestions?”

nActivating his Space Ring, Howard grasped the Ripper Mk II that fell into his hand.

nHolding the extended handle with both hands, the mana-

nimbued sharpness activated with a keen hum, a faint blue light enveloping the blade.

n“I can only suggest that our adversary might be a spirit. From what I know, only a spirit can cause such eerie occurrences.”

nIt was clear the footsteps originated from a creature, not some mechanical trick, as the source not only moved but also varied in volume.

n“To combat a spirit, direct mana attacks are most effective; do not rely solely on physical weapons!”

nWith that, Nula raised her hand, and a wave of mana rippled explosively from within her.

nThe visible ripples echoed in the confined space, revealing a white shadow in the corner of the hall — precisely where the footsteps had been coming from.

nWithout any hesitation, Howard’s left hand spread open while he stepped forward to shield Nula behind him, his right hand swinging the Ripper Mk II forward.

nThe moment the white shadow appeared, as if agitated by the mana waves or as though it had found prey like a great white shark, it fiercely pounced towards Nula’s position.

nThe blade was raised to meet the incoming white shadow head-on, Howard advanced, slashing down.

nThere was no sensation of striking a solid object; instead, Howard felt a chill pass over him.

nBy the time he turned back, the white shadow had already bypassed him, continuing its lunge towards Nula!

n“Watch out! It’s coming for you!”

nWhile Howard’s reaction was swift, Nula, no stranger to battlefields, had been prepared, understanding she would likely be the first target upon releasing the mana ripple.

nTo a spirit, a stably existing person is as unpredictable as spirits are in the real world, with mana serving as the bridge connecting the two.

nReleasing mana is like lighting a lamp in the dark, instantly becoming the target for all.

nHowever, Nula wouldn’t have taken such a risk without confidence in her ability to respond.

n“Bind!”

nWith a low shout, Nula swung her wand, casting a dim yellow light upon the white shadow.

nAs if its movements were frozen in mid-air, the moment the white shadow was enveloped by the yellow light, all its actions ceased, even its form suspended mid-leap, frozen in attack.

n“Is this, time stop?”

nIt was then Howard exhaled in relief, stepping in front of Nula to carefully watch the white shadow immobilized by the yellow light.

n“Pretty much, it’s a specialty technique for spirits,” Nula responded.

n“But this kind of spell can only restrain it, not destroy it. You’ll need to finish it off with mana. Although this is likely part of the defense system here, we can’t keep it restrained forever.”

n“Mana blade?” Howard asked.

n“No, that’s been sculpted already and isn’t pure mana anymore. Just cover your blade with mana directly, after all, spirits don’t have any armor to speak of.”

nNula fiddled through her pouch, seemingly searching for something.

n“High attack speed, but virtually zero defense, that’s the biggest characteristic of a spirit.”

nHoward nodded, retracting the mana sculpted onto his blade and reapplying a fresh layer of mana over it.

nVisit .𝘤𝑜

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