n

n

n*Knock*

nInside the Management Room, a knock sounded on the door.

n“Did that guy come back?” One of the staff stood up and used his card to open the room.

nThe Team Leader, who had just left a few minutes ago, was assumed to have returned.

nThe thought of an enemy knocking on the room didn’t even cross their minds considering that Louis Rothschild himself had gone to catch the intruders.

n< Access Permitted >

nThe door soon opened, and the staff member turned to go back to his seat.

nBut he stopped, dropped the card in his hand, and looked down to see a black blade protruding from his chest.

nDrop!

n“WHAT?!” A man shouted as he saw a masked man come inside the room while their colleague was killed in front of their eyes.

n Host has gained 500 EXP

nAsher ignored the notification as he looked at the C Rank Hunter, staring his way in disbelief.

n“Damn it, kill him,” the man in the suit shouted as several staff members stood up to attack Asher.

nHowever, most of them were D Rank Hunters, and almost all of them couldn’t even channel their mana properly. Moreover, unlike the A Rank hunters, the side effects of the drug in the air were much worse for them.

nIt wasn’t difficult for Asher to fight multiple weakened D Rank Hunters.

nBut he wanted to avoid any possibility of damaging the management room with any random attacks.

n‘Mir Steps,’ Asher used his movement technique.

nWith a burst of mana, he dashed away from the hunters and reached the mage, who had just stood up and was chanting a spell.

n‘Swift Strike,’ His sword moved, forming an arc around the mage’s neck.

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n“Die,” One of them swung a spear at Asher, but he was too slow.

nAsher sidestepped and raised his leg to lock the spear on the ground. The hunter looked at him in horror as he saw the black sword drive into his throat, killing him.

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n“Go together!” The man in the suit shouted, but the space around them wasn’t enough.

nAsher was more agile than them, and their surroundings made it harder for them to attack together.

nBut two of them pulled out their daggers as they approached Asher, who looked at them and backstepped to dodge the first attack.

nThen he dashed forward, breaking the second man’s attack.

nHe slashed his sword through the second man’s chest, rotated his body, and thrust the sword into the first man’s heart.

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n Host has gained 500 EXP

nSeeing their comrades die at the hands of Asher, they rushed at him in the heat of the moment, but it was a futile struggle.

nAsher used his movement technique, disappeared from his spot, and appeared in the middle of the people rushing at him.

nHe could see multiple nodes through his eyes, and his sword flowed through them, killing multiple D Rank Hunters simultaneously.

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n Host has gained 500 EXP

n“Dammit, move,” The man in the suit brought out a strange claw-type weapon and rushed toward Asher.

nHe pushed the man, who was too scared to move right now.

nHe dashed towards Asher, striking down with his weapon. However, Asher sidestepped and dodged the attack. Asher raised his sword, but the C Rank Hunter backstepped, realizing the masked man before him was dangerous.

nHe charged once again, this time utilizing the scant amount of aura he could muster.

nHis expression altered as he saw Asher directly block his weapon with his sword.

n*Clang*

nƥαṇdα- ηθνε|·ƈθm

n Host has gained 5000 EXP

n“You,” Asher raised his sword towards the other man in the room.

n“Ah,” The man tried to speak but found no words.

nFear had seized his mind, and he could not formulate a response.

n“Sit and open your Security System,” Asher commanded.

nThe man hesitated momentarily, but understanding his imminent death, he followed Asher’s orders.

n“Open it,” Asher repeated.

nThe man promptly opened the Security System while Asher surveyed the various permissions.

n“Move,” Asher commanded, and the man shifted behind him.

nAsher started fiddling with the settings, aiming to allow Tom the chance to take over the system.

nHe was absorbing all the information he saw, using it to break the security system.

nThe man standing behind Asher could understand his intent. However, he knew that even if he aided Asher, he might still die at the hands of Louis Rothschild.

nThis realization made him shudder, his hands shaking.

nSeeing Asher’s exposed back, he thought he might defeat Asher, believing that Asher had dropped his guard. Consequently, the man summoned his sword.

nJust as he was about to close in on Asher, he saw a black blade lunging toward his chest, impaling his heart.

n“How?…” The man collapsed.

n Host has gained 500 EXP

nHe did not know that Asher’s sword art permitted him to attack from and at any angle from his initial position.

n“Let’s disable this first,” Asher declared.

nIt didn’t take him long to locate the control of the Jamming Device, which he then disabled.

n

nTom inquired, sensing that his connection with Asher and Kai had been re-established.

n“Yes, what else do you need to take over this floor?” Asher queried.

n

nAsher rose from his seat and moved towards where the C Rank Hunter had been standing. Just by observing his surroundings, he was able to discern the location of the Data Piece and retrieve it.

nHe removed the data piece and stored it in his spatial ring.

n

n“When will the Metal Cage break?” Asher asked,

nBefore going forward with his plan, Asher wanted to know how long they could hold Louis Rothschild there.

nTom relayed information about the damage the metal cage had sustained thus far.

nInside the Metal Cage,

nLouis observed various spots he had pounded, his patience waning.

nHe intensified the mana in his fists, striking the metal cage again. His mana clashed with the barrier, and intense sparks could be seen. Every single impact of his fist made a loud sound.

n*BAM*

n

nHis fists relentlessly hammered the metal cage surrounding him. Louis did not pause, knowing that the intruders’ chances of escape were increasing. Even though he had already dispatched his team of hunters to the First Level, he was desperate to break free from the metal cage.

n*BAM*

n

nTom watched as the damage figures rapidly decreased, Louis Rothschild nearing the moment when the Metal Cage would fail.

n

n

n“We need more time, damn it,” Tom exclaimed, monitoring the health.

n

nTaking over the Fourth Level would take him approximately 2 minutes, but he predicted that Louis Rothschild would escape the Metal Cage in less than a minute.

nCurrently, he was accessing the cameras on the Fourth Level and saw Kai struggling somewhat with an A Rank Hunter.

nAware of Kai’s situation, Tom opened his communication line to Dane.

n“You’re finished, right?” He queried Dane.

n<…Yeah>

nTom heard the scream of a man in the background as Dane replied.

n“Proceed to the Fourth Level,” Tom instructed.

n