Chapter 69: Bestowing A Gift
"What the hell?" Leonard felt a cold chill run down his spine.
Valor was his reliable knight summon that, until now, had never lost a battle. Yet he had been killed faster than the blink of an eye.
Similarly, Joker, whose form was supposed to make him immune to most types of damage, had been killed effortlessly.
The party watched in fright as Orpheus took slow, measured steps forward, his eyes betraying no emotion.
"Ice Spikes!"
Elizabeth was the first to act, unwilling to go down without a fight.
[Dragon Slayer activated!]
Leonard didn’t linger either. He sprang to the side, trying to encircle the Void Believer before unleashing his skill.
Orpheus remained unwavering in his stride. When Elizabeth’s projectiles struck him, they shattered like glass.
As for the silver javelin Leonard had thrown, Orpheus raised his hand, caught it easily, and crushed it by tightening his grip.
’What an absolute monster!’ Leonard thought, gritting his teeth. ’He ignored our attacks like they were nothing! Now it makes sense why Elizabeth’s eyes looked like that earlier. She must have sensed the Void Believer from afar.’
Orpheus stopped before the dragonkin’s corpse. Leonard hadn’t had the chance to teleport it away with the teleportation ring.
"I will be taking that."
He opened a portal beneath the monster’s body, its remains falling through it, never to be seen again.
Next, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the party.
"Nobody has answered me yet. Who would volunteer first for their reward?"
Silence spread, the awakeners still having trouble processing what they were witnessing.
"Who the hell are you, and what do you want with us?!" Russell spat, pointing with his sword. "I’ll let you know that I’m a member of a prominent household, so proceed with caution if you don’t want to regret it!"
"Me? You may call me Orpheus, and I am part of what you humans call Void Believers." He replied calmly. "As for why I am here... rejoice! You have been deemed worthy to inherit the beautiful gift of the Almighty and the comforting embrace of corruption!"
"No... I don’t want to!" Cassie’s body trembled. As a Healer in particular, she despised everything that had to do with corruption.
"Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?" Orpheus shook his head. "I’m sure that after you hear me out, you will understand what kind of honor this is."
"We refuse!" Winston screamed at the top of his lungs. He fulfilled his duty as a tank and charged forward.
Orpheus faced him.
Abruptly, Winston’s eyes widened as his shield and hammer fractured. His knees buckled under their weight, and he fell to the ground.
"In search of fresh blood for our ranks, we sought to test the participants who wished to enroll in the academy..." Orpheus explained, unbothered by Winston’s attack.
"First, we separated you from the academy’s staff and teleported you to an unknown location, where we pitted you against monsters. Using visions, we brainwashed some of them, giving them the goal of leading you toward the Silver Palace. Those who made it here and killed the dragonkin have shown the greatest promise and, as such, will be joining the Void Believers."
With that information, everything clicked into place. Leonard had wondered why the orc tribe had imprisoned humans. Their task had been to forcibly drag them into the Silver Palace to test their survival skills.
This had also been why the Orc Shaman had retreated toward here.
Without a doubt, the hundreds of participants scattered throughout the area had faced similar monsters. Maybe if Leonard’s group had been slower in reaching the Silver Palace, they would have reunited with the other groups.
Regardless, the end result would have remained the same.
Relying on their speed, Harley and Russell flanked Orpheus, their blades going for the kill.
"It’s fruitless. You cannot harm me." Orpheus declared as the two awakeners fell to the ground, unable to stand.
"Down to just three..." Leonard murmured, his mind racing.
Just recently, he had reached Level 12 and finally obtained a class on top of that. Was there really nothing he could do?
He glanced at Elizabeth. She was mildly shaken, yet ready to fight.
Meanwhile, Cassie was weeping uncontrollably. Her Healer class didn’t grant her any offensive capabilities for the situation.
After exchanging glances the two lunged in desperation.
Elizabeth sought to freeze their adversary’s feet, while Leonard aimed for the neck.
"Resisting will only make it more painful for you."
Orpheus stomped his foot, shattering the ice beneath him and somehow forcing Elizabeth to drop to the ground on all fours, as if an enormous weight had been placed upon her.
At the same time, he grabbed Leonard by the throat and lifted him with one arm.
’I need oxygen... I can’t think straight.’ He struggled to escape the chokehold, unable to break free from the grip.
[Your mana has been forcibly depleted!]
[Mana: 0/760]
Orpheus threw him next to Elizabeth, red marks visible across his neck.
The Void Believer proceeded to throw Winston, Harley, and Russell beside them as well. Finally, he grabbed Cassie by the leg and mercilessly dragged her toward the group.
"See? It wasn’t that hard after all."
Leonard coughed violently, struggling to breathe.
"What do you intend to do with us?"
The edges of Orpheus’ mouth curled into a cruel smirk.
"I will bestow upon you a gift from our ruler! Make no mistake, corruption by itself is not dangerous but a mere tool. Usually, once it passes a certain threshold, it turns humans into Hollows... However, with this, not only will you learn to truly wield it, but you will also forge a connection with the Almighty!"
He took out a purplish tadpole, its body squirming.
"Once this Void parasite latches deep into your brain and takes root, you will become like me and be able to see the truth for what it is!"
Orpheus drew closer.
"Since you are the liveliest, let’s start with you!" Orpheus suggested, pulling Leonard’s eyelid down.
"Now, give your mind and body to corruption and submit to the Almighty!"