CHAPTER 46: SALVATION

Not far from Ash, dark mist rose, chilling the air. A hooded figure appeared, his steps bringing shadows to life. Tendrils of darkness wrapped around entire clusters of beasts, crushing them into the earth.

Then came fire—unrelenting. Flames erupted as another leader raised both arms, and an inferno swallowed the battlefield, reducing the monster tide to ash.

One after another, the guild leaders revealed themselves. Their presence alone shifted the atmosphere.

Even the rampaging beasts hesitated, their bloodlust erased in the face of overwhelming power.

The combined strength of the three guild leaders still could not match the commander alone.

But it was enough to turn the tide. The dungeon closed, vanishing out of existence so no more beasts could emerge.

Ash put his gun away, watching as the situation came under control.

Just after the initial clash, hundreds of guild members joined the fight, assisting rankers and hunting down the remaining beasts.

Ash barely got any chance to kill more; either way, he had already put some distance between himself and the main fight. He didn’t care about this bullshit. He was ready to run for his life.

But now, he stopped in his tracks, chest heaving, his heart pounding.

He didn’t want to run and show cowardice—it was better to stand there and act brave, since the situation was already under control.

In mere moments, the army of beasts was crushed by the army of humans. Truly, it had all happened so fast—at first, they had been lacking numbers, but once reinforcements arrived, the situation was salvaged.

The remaining beasts were hunted down in no time, clearing any threat. After that, the atmosphere grew grim. Beasts didn’t turn into snowy dust like inside dungeons; their carcasses lay lifeless on the ground. And among them were the bodies of dead rankers who hadn’t survived the disaster.

Dungeon breaks had been common in the past, when humans weren’t ready to fight, but in this era they were rare.

Humanity didn’t have enough resources to keep every dungeon cleared—that was the reason people had limited themselves to small stronghold cities, where keeping the dungeons in check was possible.

The commander walked out amid the pile of corpses. He wasn’t bathed in blood because these beasts had no blood; they were pure crystals.

Surprisingly—or unsurprisingly—he had not even a scratch, if one ignored the scar already on his face.

In reality, these beasts weren’t even eligible to bypass his natural defense. Only their numbers had overwhelmed him.

’I guess that’s the difference between being with the research department and being a combat-focused ranker,’ Ash realized.

He waited until all the beasts were dealt with, looking for Jessie, who was already by his side.

All the flying beasts had already been handled by Arthur.

"Aghh, you damn abominations!" A loud, ear-piercing roar from the commander reverberated through the area.

He fell to his knees, disappointed in himself.

"I should have closed the dungeon," he murmured, cursing himself, cursing the government.

The job the government had allotted him was the reason he couldn’t make that decision. His job was to gather information, and he couldn’t cut off the source of information even if it threatened his life. Someone else would eventually come to complete the work, but the work itself couldn’t stop.

It was government policy. He had been raised in an environment where these were the daily oaths. But after so many similar instances, he had other thoughts.

Everyone else could feel the frustration behind his scream.

The day ended with cleaning up the mess and giving respectful burials to the deceased warriors. Buildings around the area had been destroyed by the frenzied beasts.

Ash sat in his inn, thinking about the day.

He only felt pity for the dead people, but nothing more. No frustration, no sadness, nothing. Maybe it was because of his previous life, or maybe because none of them had been his friends or relatives.

He also had a different perspective on the matter. He wasn’t like the commander, who was in a position to save others. Maybe one day, when he was powerful enough to save others, he might feel the same as the commander.

It was unnerving how detached he was from emotions compared to others. In contrast he felt like his emotions heightened around Jessie.

It was an uncomfortable realisation that left a imprint on his mind. ’Is she using an spell to manipulate his emotions?’.

[Side Quest: Go undetected after your first high-profile kill]

[Status: Completed]

[Rewards: +10,000 Coins] [+1000 Exp]

[Title Unlocked]

[Whisper in the Dark: You kill not for glory, but in silence. Your deeds become rumors, not headlines.

Effect: Reputation penalty from high-profile kills is negated.]

Ash looked at the notification, perplexed by the description. What was a reputation penalty, and why would he care about reputation?

It was something beyond his understanding—there were no direct implications, and he couldn’t see any indirect use for the title either.

He ignored it without giving it a second thought, but there was some bitterness in his mouth. He had waited for this quest to complete for so long, and it completed only now—after he had fought his way to level 10.

If he had gotten it earlier, he might not have been tempted to jump into the chaos.

[Level 10: 3400/10000 Exp]

[Class choice available]

[Talent choice available]

[Your skills have evolved]

[Armory store has been evolved]

Ash took a deep breath, remembering Jessie’s words.

"Choose wisely—your choices will determine your future options."

Ash first went through his evolved skills.

[Mana Surge evolved to Mana Overdrive]

[Mana Overdrive: Permanently increases MP regeneration speed by 120%. (1 MP / 270 Seconds)

Bonus Effect: Killing an enemy regains 1 to 10% of maximum MP instantly.]

[Killing Intent evolved to King’s Domain]

[King’s Domain: Releases an overwhelming aura of bloodlust, forcing enemies within range to freeze.

Bonus Effect: Enemies with Willpower lower than Ash’s lose 20% combat effectiveness (attack/defense) while under its influence.

Cost: Depends on target.]

[Vital Shot evolved to Heartpiercer]

[Heartpiercer: Channel mana into the next attack. Bypasses armor and deals 350% damage.

Bonus Effect: Under King’s Domain, multiplier rises to 450%.

Cost: 80 MP/Attack.]

Ash stared at his screen, mortified. All of his skills had changed drastically. The bonus effect of recovering 1 to 10% mana on each kill was very convenient.

If he assumed an average of 5% per hundred, then every kill would give him 5 MP. One bullet from his pistol cost him the same—so it looked like an infinite loop.