Chapter 26: An Upcoming Conflict
Two days had passed since Ethan invaded the blood ant colony. By now, the hundreds of blood ant corpses inside the nest had begun to rot, their murky stench leaking into the ravine.
Ethan and his subordinates had long since left the area, the smell already overwritten by the metallic tang.
*Thud*
A small rock rolled out of the wall, crashing into the ravine floor with an audible noise.
At the top, a figure emerged near the ravine. It was a young man, barely in his twenties, draped in long dark robes. His face hid behind a clean white mask, a cerulean lightning pattern running through its left eye horizontally.
At the corners of the mask, his short yellow hair was clearly visible.
Nearing the edge, his amber eyes briefly observed the ravine.
"So, her report was true..." He gritted his teeth, a hint of frustration reflecting in his tone.
Two days ago, Christine Frost had sent two lower-ranked soldiers on a mission. As one of the seven prominent characters of the region, she was trusted to deal with the situation regarding the Valeria city.
Near the northern border, monsters had become unusually active. Their worst nightmare seemed to be finally taking its shape.
Although the group couldn’t kill the serpent, they had certainly slowed its progress in evolution exponentially. But the situation had changed.
Signs of its breakthrough had begun to appear. If left be, the serpent would ascend to C-rank and attack the nearby territories blindly.
The only chance they’d left now was to poison its greatest resource—the blood ravine. To the serpent, it was an accumulation of years of biological material.
The blood and flesh of tens of thousands refined each other over time, transforming into a valuable blood-type resource.
Yet, when George and Else did not return within the expected time, Christine felt a strange uneasiness.
To appease her mind, she sent one of her most trusted subordinates to scout the area.
Not long after, the scout returned with a shocking report.
All the blood had disappeared!
Upon hearing the details, Christine was left tongue-tied. Her blood ran cold, and her eyes widened in shock.
"How could this happen...?" Her voice wavered with overwhelming emotions as she hesitantly banged the table in frustration.
Christine was born years after the apocalypse. By the time she matured, the world had changed completely.
Since birth, she had seen humans awaken strange powers and fight monsters to death. To her, this was normal.
But to think her own abilities—that she’d been proud of all this time—had fallen short against a serpent, she couldn’t help but think about the consequences.
Immediately, she thought of a single precedent and chose to believe it.
"The serpent has already absorbed the blood and is simply stalling for its breakthrough to lure us."
Christine anxiously shared the report with the others on a holographic conference, only to hear an opinion similar to hers.
"What should we do now?"
"What else? We’ve lost our chance. It’s only wise to step back now."
"I’m in favor of retreat as well. We should give up on the city; it’s beyond saving now."
Five of them shared similar thoughts. Even Christine, gritting her teeth, could only nod in agreement.
However, Jake seemed to have different plans altogether. Out of the seven, he possessed the fiercest personality.
"Retreat? After a decade of continuous failures, that’s the best you can do?" He scoffed openly.
"Radiant Stars—that was the name you chose for all of us, spouting all sorts of bullshit about being unmatchable and whatnot. Yet, let alone handle those D-rank monsters, you can’t even handle jobs that are supposed to be your specialty!" Jake continued, his sharp voice stomping all over their pride.
"That’s enough!" A feminine voice snapped, unable to hear his criticism.
Jake smiled smugly before bursting into laughter. Uncaring of their shallow pride, Jake continued to laugh at their face, boiling everyone’s blood. Eventually, the others seethed similarly.
Christine, however, chose to remain silent.
"Fuck, what?" Suddenly, his smile disappeared as he expressionlessly glared at the others.
"Did I say something wrong? Oh my~ Did Daddy’s harsh words perhaps hurt your tiny egos?" Jake rebuked, a vein bulging over his forehead.
"Shut the hell up, assholes." A strange energy crackled near the corners of his eyes, shimmering in lightning-like jagged patterns.
Seeing this, the others who had been actively showing their hostility flinched before falling silent. Immediately, cold sweat broke onto their foreheads, their eyes mapping the tables before them anxiously.
"It was because of your incompetence that things fell out of hand in the first place. Unlike you jesters, someone has actually been working his ass off. But now, all thanks to you, his name will be dragged around the mud as well."
Barely holding onto his anger, Jake sighed sharply and tightened his jaw.
"That’s it." He spoke, his voice no longer dominating as before.
"I’m taking matters into my own hands now. And try refusing it now, I dare you."
Jake’s threat was loud and clear. However, the others didn’t refute it at all; instead, they gulped a mouthful nervously.
If it was someone else, they would’ve tortured him in the worst way simply for talking too loudly in front of them. But they couldn’t do the same to him.
No, they were too afraid to do that.