Chapter 179 Nearing The Fifth Level Entrance
The air inside the underground facility was beginning to fill with the drug that Asher had brought with him.
Following Asher, Kai pondered deeply about Asher and his actions up to this point.
He'd never heard of any such poison that affected a person's mana flow in such a manner as the one Asher had given him. This was the first time he had seen such drugs.
Defeating A-Rankers this easily was not a simple task for him. Typically, Kai needed Dane to deal with this many people, and even then, it would still take more time than it did for Kai alone.
"What path will we take?" Kai asked as he peered at the holographic map.
"We will eliminate people on this floor first," Asher said, as their priority had shifted.
He was not rushing to the Fourth Level as they were heading straight to the Fifth Level, knowing it was a one-way entrance and they would still need to pass through the Fourth Level again to leave this facility.
He aimed to isolate the fourth Level and eliminate any possibility of reinforcements arriving. Dane was ensuring that no one entered the B-Rank facility and that none of the bodies of the people they'd paralyzed were spotted.
"Take this time to gain access to the fourth level," Asher reminded Tom.
<Okay>
Both moved forward, leaving the half-destroyed area behind them. Fortunately, the materials used to build this facility were sturdy enough to ensure that the impact of Kai's spell wasn't heard by the hunters on the Third Level.
Unlike the previous levels, there were only five A-Rank hunters present, and most of them were stationed separately from each other.
And they were positioned around specific blocks of the third Level to guard various storage rooms.
Asher and Kai moved through the third Level, observing various security devices. But all of them had been rendered useless by Tom.
Asher spread his mana sense and detected the presence of the nearest hunter.
"I will take him," Asher said, leaving Kai slightly confused.
He didn't understand why Asher wanted to confront and kill these hunters. But just in case, Kai prepared a spell in the event Asher missed his opportunity.
Asher used Mir Steps, and Kai watched Asher's figure moving from one point to another.
'What is that technique?' Kai wondered as he'd never seen anything like it before.
He had seen various A-Rank and S-Rank hunters, but none used such a technique. Most of them were fast enough to outpace Asher, but he was certain no D-Rank hunter moved like him.
Asher moved quickly, but he didn't forget to conceal his presence. If he used his mana without concealing it, even with Kai's abilities, his presence could be sensed by an A-Rank Hunter.
As the mage guessed, Asher was near him after his first attack, but he couldn't do much due to the drug that filled the air.
Asher propelled himself from the ground towards the hunter, preparing to strike with his right hand.
'Isn't he afraid?' Kai thought as he saw Asher dash toward their next target.
In his eyes, Asher was talented, but his actions seemed too reckless. Even Dane, in his view, was not as reckless as Asher.
And he was correct. Unlike Dane, who avoided anyone he deemed dangerous, Asher was different. He had fought tougher battles in his previous life, where no one would have thought he could win.
Even though his possibility of winning was low, his methods allowed him victory. But everything had a price, and damaging his body was one of them. But for now, Asher was not using his mana doping methods. Instead, this was what he was capable of with his current abilities.
He moved his sword, which was becoming coated in his aura, and his eyes indifferently regarded the A-Rank hunter in front of him as if he were nothing.
Asher tilted his sword slightly as he moved past the A-Rank hunter, who didn't know what had happened to him.
"Eh?-" The last words came out of his mouth as his head fell off his body.
[ Host has gained 20,000 EXP ]
[ Host has leveled up ]
Asher turned as he saw another notification. In a short span, he had gained three levels.
'Status,' Asher said to himself.
---------| Fate Devourer System |---------
[Name] : Asher Von Raven Greville
[Level] -25 (EXP 4500/25,000)
[Bloodline]: Devil's Absorption Rank SSS
[Cursed]: Curse of Fate (Active)
[Body Constitution] - Mana Core Rank D
----------------------------------------------
[-Attributes-]
Strength: 115
Agility: 110
Endurance: 85
Intelligence: 180
Mana: 119
Stamina: 73
Charm: 65
Fate: 10230
[AP]: 35+5 [SP]: 22+2
----------------------------------------------
He had already reached level 25, and he was confident that there were enough A-Rank hunters here for him to kill.
"Let's move," Asher was not stopping here.
<I can see 5 more people in this Level>
<The Portal to the Vault is opposite the hallway where the entrance to the Fourth Level is situated>Upon hearing Tom's voice, Asher moved through the hallways.
As Kai followed him, he noticed many storage rooms he was certain were storing valuable goods. He was sure that if Dane were here, he would have attempted to rob some of these rooms.
They stopped at one of the turns where an A-Rank hunter was standing in front of a room that appeared like a storage room, much like many others they had passed on their way here.
Asher used his movement technique to close the distance to the unsuspecting A-Rank Hunter.
'Swift Strike,' In a single moment, Asher slashed his sword through the neck of the A-Rank Hunter.
[ Host has gained 20,000 EXP ]
Asher didn't stop and headed towards the Portal they needed to take to enter the Fifth Level, where the 'Vault' was situated.
As time passed, the chances of someone noticing the anomalies with their mana flow increased.
Asher was aware of this, so he was moving at full speed without conserving his mana.
[ Host has gained 20,000 EXP ]
[ Host has leveled up ]
Killing another A-Rank Hunter, Asher and Kai arrived at the core sector of the Third Level.
"We have a metal gate in front of us," Kai reported to Tom.
<After this, the rest of the section is a Restricted Area>
<The moment I give you access to this door, the remaining 3 Hunters will become aware of your presence>
<But I don't think they will consider that the one who opened the door could be an intruder>
"You can handle one more Tier 3 spell, right?" Asher asked with an indifferent voice as he spread his mana sense.
He could see the faint outlines of mana from 2 people standing a bit far from this gate.
"Yes, but using it will make my ability run out sooner," Kai replied.
His ability was taking a toll on his body.
"Just take care of the one who will arrive after the first one," Asher said.
"Shoot it straight the moment I kill the first one," His voice was indifferent and authoritative.
They walked towards the Metal Door.
< Permission Granted: You can enter now >
The robotic voice was heard as Tom granted manual access to Asher and Kai.
Sounds of heavy metal colliding with each other could be heard as the metal doors started opening bit by bit.
Kai could see that this door alone would have taken a few Tier 3 spells to break through it.
"Get ready," Asher said as he dashed towards the entry that had just opened.
Kai raised his hands as his eyes started to shine.
"Call Forth, Arrow of...." Kai started chanting as an arrow began forming in front of him.
But this arrow was also affected by his ability, as it disappeared shortly after it appeared.
Using Mir Steps, Asher had covered some distance, and he could see a man wearing special armor coming in his direction.
Judging from his speed alone, without using mana, Asher knew he was an A-Rank Hunter.
"Who could it be," The hunter muttered as he moved towards Asher.
His senses and mana control had grown dull to the point that sensing Asher and Kai's presence was impossible for him.
Asher looked at the armor the man was wearing and knew it was A-Rank Armor. However, there was one part of his body that the armor did not cover: his face.
Asher focused his aura, which gathered around his sword's tip.
Taking a deep breath, his eyes focused on one spot. They were only 2 seconds apart from each other.
Asher turned his sword as he, changed his grip, and pulled it a bit behind his back as he thrust the blade into the skull of the A-Rank Hunter.
His aura greatly strengthened his hand and sword as the blade pierced through the skull of the A-Rank Hunter.
[ Host has gained 20,000 EXP ]
The moment he killed the A-Rank Hunter, he could sense another presence of an A-Rank Hunter just ahead of him.
Judging by his Mana Flow skill, he could sense that the A-Rank Hunter was flaring all his mana that he could.