Chapter 1 Space Change

The surrounding space changed, turning into a black and white chessboard.

Since he'd chosen to act, Soren wouldn't give the enemy any chance. He tossed the black umbrella in his hand into the air, his hands rapidly forming warlock seals, intending to deploy the "Nightfall Domain" to strip away the opponent's senses, then quickly kill him.

The man in the trench coat frowned as he was pulled into the space.

But this was a royal elite with true combat experience. Even knowing he faced certain death, he didn't panic much and reacted instantly.

His hands also rapidly condensed warlock seals.

As he formed the seals, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Soren hadn't thought his chess board + black umbrella killing move would be easily countered.

But seeing the blood color rapidly fade from the guy's face, and the appearance of patches of cyan-black corpse spots, he revealed a hint of surprise.

...

"Talent [C-008-Plague Bearer]?"

Soren caught sight of the enemy's condition and immediately guessed it was a talent ability.

Those with this talent were frail and sickly from childhood, but if they survived, their plague resistance would be extremely high.

This was a talent highly compatible with the "Toxic Warlock" profession.

Soren didn't dare to be careless. Although it was his first time encountering a Toxic Warlock, and he didn't know what methods the guy had,

looking at the order he was forming his seals, and the increasingly manic plague law fluctuations, he immediately thought of a famous plague-based sorcery.

"Flesh Alchemy - Whaleburst?"

Soren's eyelids twitched slightly as he looked at him, muttering, "He's self-detonating right off the bat. He's really decisive."

This sorcery was just what it sounded like. After casting it, the practitioner would self-destruct their body like a whale carcass suddenly exploding, splashing large amounts of decaying tissue filled with pathogens, contaminating everything around.

Looking at countless professions, this was one of the most disgusting sorceries!

Exploding in this enclosed chessboard space would be an absolute disaster, like being smeared with shit.

The enemy's move directly turned the passive into the active.

He went straight for "self-destruct," not afraid of being killed.

Even hiding in a battle mech, taking it head-on would result in the mech being corroded.

Now Soren had to consider whether to undo the space.

Otherwise, he'd have to take it head-on.

...

The enemy's reaction was so quick, he was clearly prepared.

In an instant, Soren's hands continued forming warlock seals, and he thought, "It seems the previous battle exposed some of my methods. This guy was already guarding against the black umbrella and the mech."

Almost at the same time as his thoughts raced, the trench coat man's body rapidly swelled like a rotting whale carcass. The guy's stomach swelled like an inflated balloon, getting bigger and bigger.

Before the explosion, the green ghostly light of plague laws was already getting brighter and brighter.

Soren saw that the other party's sorcery was irreversible, and knew he wasn't bluffing.

At the last moment, he decisively chose to undo the chessboard space.

The two returned to the tunnel.

The next instant, there was a muffled sound like a leather drum bursting, echoing in his ears.

A wave of nauseating stench that could be smelled even through the gas mask instantly washed over him.

Soren teleported back in a violent retreat.

Even so, the enclosed tunnel helped the plague torrent to spread in a focused direction.

Soren dodged the brunt of the impact, but the aftershock still engulfed him.

The plague mask kept him breathing freely, but the corrosive torrent burned through his clothes, pierced through the barrier of death laws, and slammed into his right arm.

Instantly, a burning, stinging sensation shot to his forehead.

Soren glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a large burn-like red patch had already appeared on his arm, with a large number of blisters and pustules forming.

"The 'Annihilation' characteristic of plague laws..."

Soren thought to himself how formidable it was.

Plague laws were a niche area, but once mastered, they were far more devious than conventional laws.

Just this super "armor penetration" ability that could corrode elemental barriers was enough to cause same-tier professionals great losses.

Fortunately, he had exited the chessboard space in time.

Otherwise, taking this move head-on, with rotting flesh plastered to his face, even if the mechanical armor blocked it, this move would probably corrode seven or eight tenths of the armor's enchantments and plating.

The blast poisoned Soren, but fortunately, he had a constitution modified by X-serum, and his years of wearing the plague mask gave him high toxin resistance, otherwise this arm infection would probably have killed him in a short time!

Soren didn't dare delay and took out a vial of potent antitoxin, crushed it, and poured it on the wound, washing the contaminated skin.

A cool sensation instantly relieved the burning.

At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the distant incense burner, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Soren didn't think things would end so easily.

When that foul-smelling blast wave subsided, that spotted python convulsed again and spat out a naked man covered in mucus, his face deathly pale.

Soren looked at the guy and muttered, "As expected, he's not dead..."

Moreover, this guy wasn't alone!

At the same time, another trench coat man wearing a monocle also appeared.

The other party probably hadn't expected that Soren would force his companion to self-destruct so quickly.

But despite his surprise, the guy didn't hesitate. His hands formed warlock seals, and a star array lit up beneath his feet. He lightly shouted, "Human Separation Art - Release!"

There was no time to dodge. As if his words were law, Soren watched as his body was cut into three sections by something sharp.

"Seventh-tier spell? No... it's an illusion!"

Seeing the star array, Soren was shocked. The immense pressure that made him unable to resist made him think this was a top-tier professional. Or that the other party had a sealed artifact like the Black Scythe.

But in an instant, he saw through the essence of this sorcery.

This was just an illusion!

He glanced at the monocle the guy was wearing and immediately realized something.

[Robert's Monocle]

Description: Let the world feel your pain!

Curse Characteristic: Alchemic Imaging, can realistically manifest scenes in your mind into an illusion, causing genuine deception of the target's sensory system; the pain the target suffers is definitely what you have personally experienced;

Details: The brass frame of the lens is engraved with the name 'Robert Roland'; once a genius magician, he was framed and lost everything because of jealousy of his talent; he struggled to be reborn in a hellish life, refining this alchemical eye, vowing to make his enemies experience the pain he had experienced in those years;

This was another very special cursed object.

The people of the Luying royal family were indeed not lacking in treasures.

Although Soren saw through the illusion, the strange thing was that the pain of being cut was very real!

It was as if sharp blades were actually tearing through skin and flesh, and the agonizing pain instantly made cold sweat break out on his forehead.

Although this was an illusion, Soren knew not to underestimate it, because illusions could also kill!

There were two ways the human body felt pain.

The first was normal, where nerves on the limbs sensed external stimuli, and then transmitted the signal to the brain;

The other was where the brain directly received the wrong signal, thinking it was in pain.

The second was the essence of almost all "illusions."

Although it wasn't true physical pain,

the consequences were equally serious.

Not just pain, but also cold, heat, cutting, corrosion, fear, pleasure... etc.

All sensory experiences could theoretically be simulated with illusions.

And stinging or other sensations would cause the body to react instinctively, leading to terrible consequences. Such as "dying of pain," "dying of fright," "mental breakdown"...

For example, freezing someone to death with an ice illusion would result in an autopsy report identical to someone who had truly been frozen to death.

Moreover, there was an unprovable ultimate topic circulating in illusionist professional circles: How do you know that the world you are in now is real?

...

Soren didn't consider such profound philosophical topics like whether he was a 'brain in a vat.' He only knew that this guy was troublesome.

The pain of a torn body might instantly cause most people to lose their fighting ability, but it wasn't a big problem for Soren.

His eyes turned cold, and he directly blocked the pain.

He knew he would be hit because the other party's mental strength wasn't necessarily higher than his. But that guy's profession and implants must have a very high compatibility with illusions.

Humans were different from monsters like mind flayers, especially alchemists. Knowing how to use tools was the greatest advantage of alchemists, allowing their combat power to increase exponentially.

The trench coat man's illusion was very clever, not just an illusory scene on a mental level, but a real presentation like a projection.

"This monocle's curse characteristic is really strong..."

Soren ignored his body that had been cut into three sections, his hands clawing in the air, and he lightly shouted, "Silk Control Secret Art - Slaughterhouse!"

Almost at the same time, dense pale blue silk threads appeared around the illusionist's body.

Those silk threads shimmered with sharp wind elements, and the moment they solidified, they suddenly contracted. In an instant, the trench coat man was cut into pieces.

But unexpectedly, there was no sight of blood splattering. Like a reflection in water, when cut, it instantly returned to normal.

The illusionist looked at the silk threads in the tunnel, and a barely perceptible mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. The expression seemed to say: This move is useless against me.

Looking again, the illusionist had divided into seven, becoming seven identical people.

Seeing this, Soren's pupils constricted slightly.

A look of undisguised surprise appeared on his face.

But in fact, he had expected this result.

This guy's illusion was almost indistinguishable from reality. Even in spatial perception, there was a "person" standing there.

But Soren already knew it was an illusion before acting.

Other things could be simulated with illusions, but the fire of the soul could not.

In soul perception, he clearly knew there was a ball of soul fire nearby.

The reason he deliberately missed was to confuse the enemy.

He wasn't confident in killing the illusionist with one blow.

Soren was very clear about his current situation. The other party had already grasped many of his methods. If he couldn't kill with one blow, it would become more and more troublesome to fight the enemy later.

He had lost the chance to quickly resolve the battle when he failed to kill the Toxic Warlock with one blow.

Now the first thing he had to do was protect himself.

If the other party didn't know he had soul perception, the illusionist's vigilance would be very low. Sooner or later, he would be able to seize the opportunity.

Besides,

the enemies weren't just the two in front of him, there was a third!

...

The Toxic Warlock had just self-destructed. He had probably used some special method to avoid death, but his strength was greatly damaged. He didn't participate in the direct battle, but continued to try to extinguish the [Annis Todlara's Toxic Incense Burner].

Soren controlled the puppet, fighting fiercely with the seven illusions created by the illusionist.

No matter how they were killed, the illusions could be reborn immediately.

It looked like if this continued, Soren would inevitably lose.

Soren could have used spatial displacement to retreat back to the maze, but he didn't want to watch these guys break the seal so easily. Thinking that since fifth-tier professionals hadn't arrived, he could still struggle a bit longer.

In Soren's view, the illusionist in front of him wasn't much of a threat.

He himself was also good at mental illusions. With some caution, those illusions weren't a big problem.

Instead, he was constantly on guard against the third person lurking in the dark.

In soul perception, it was a fourth-tier assassin, quietly feeling his way down from the top of the rock wall!

It looked like the guy was preparing to make a stealth assassination.

But Soren was prepared to use his physical body to lure the enemy and counter-kill, but unexpectedly, something he never expected happened!

...

The assassin felt his way down, and Soren watched him pass by the Toxic Warlock.

He thought the guy would continue to sneak closer, but he didn't expect him to suddenly attack at this moment!

Without warning, a black dagger suddenly appeared in the air.

If Soren couldn't sense the fire of the soul, he wouldn't have known the assassin was there.

Right above the Toxic Warlock's head!

The black dagger was actually aimed at the Toxic Warlock's neck.

The lethality of an assassin before and after being exposed was completely different.

An unexposed assassin was "unknown" and could even assassinate targets of a higher tier.

This strike directly severed the naked man's neck, and a stream of green blood spurted out.

Although the green blood corroded the assassin's arm, the Toxic Warlock was really dead!

Soren was greatly surprised as he watched the gray mist rising from the corpse, "What's going on? A mutiny?"

He never expected that the assassin would actually turn on his own, killing his companion!

Likewise, the illusionist was also greatly shocked, and shouted, "Cortez, what are you doing!"

Soren didn't care why they were having a mutiny. The death of one enemy was a huge benefit to him.

He looked at the illusionist's stunned moment, and his expression turned cold, "Good opportunity!"

He had been showing weakness and setting traps, waiting for this moment.

"Silk Control Secret Art - Flowerfall!"

Soren's spider spear suddenly pulled, and countless silk threads instantly solidified.

But the target wasn't any of the seven illusions, but another dark corner.

The illusionist had created an environmental barrier with illusions, completely hiding his figure.

But Soren had deliberately fought with the puppet for so long to set up these silk threads that would make it impossible for the enemy to escape!

The moment the silk threads solidified, the illusionist instantly realized he had been discovered. Just as he was about to act, the long-prepared silk threads had completely controlled him.

In that moment of error, a spatial rift suddenly appeared on his neck, severing it in one blow.

Seeing the gray mist overflowing from the soul, Soren confirmed he had killed this guy.

However, he didn't move, but instead stared solemnly at the assassin in the distance.

...

The assassin glanced at the illusionist who had been instantly killed by Soren, a hint of surprise also appearing in his eyes, and muttered to himself, "I didn't expect you to have hidden such a trick. I thought..."

What he didn't finish saying was: His original intention was to save someone, but he didn't expect he wouldn't need to save him at all.

Soren didn't respond to his words, but instead asked, "Who are you?"

The assassin shook his head: "Who I am is not important. I'm here on someone's request to prevent you from dying."

After a pause, he looked at Soren with a slightly strange look, and then said: "It seems that I was overthinking it."

He even suspected that the person in front of him had discovered him long ago. Even if it was a three-on-one fight, the other party might have a chance to counter-kill.

"On someone's request?"

Hearing this, Soren immediately realized that this was a spy arranged by a certain force in the Royal Legion.

His first reaction was to think of one person.

That noble lady with braids and freckles.

Not many people could arrange spies in the Holy Judgment Legion.

Soren had just come out of Old Lindon and didn't know anyone with that kind of power.

The only one who fit the conditions was Katyusha.

"She would actually arrange someone to protect me?"

Soren felt strange in his heart.

Although it wasn't necessary, he still appreciated the sentiment.

At this time, the assassin also muttered, "It seems you know who it is."

Soren raised his eyebrows noncommittally and said nothing more.

Arranging spies in the royal family was a major crime.

Even if he guessed, it was best not to say it.

Katyusha had the good intention of saving him, and he didn't want to cause trouble for that little girl.

However, this kind of ambitious behavior didn't fit her persona as a wandering poet or an apprentice astrologer?

Could it be a hidden force of her family?

Soren didn't think much about it, thinking he should thank her next time he saw her.

He wasn't polite and manipulated the silk threads to collect the two corpses.

He had frequently used the Reaper's Shadow before, and the [Eclipse] totem was already a bit overwhelmed. He didn't dare to continue using it right now, so he just casually extracted a bit.

The soul quality of the royal family must be very high. Even if it was a "blind draw," he had gained a large amount of illusionist profession advancement knowledge.

He also collected the monocle.

The assassin was also very sensible, deliberately keeping a distance as if to avoid suspicion, so that Soren could also smoothly collect the corpse of the Toxic Warlock.

Soren went to take a closer look at the things in the storage ring and put them all away.

...

Soren's purpose was to use the incense burner to attract monsters and prevent those people from breaking the seal here.

Now, naturally, he wouldn't leave.

The assassin looked at the incense burner and said, "I can't stop those people from breaking the seal. Your method may have a chance."

Soren remained noncommittal.

Now that he had killed a wave of people, he could at least delay them for a while.

But unexpectedly, the assassin's expression suddenly changed and he lightly shouted, "Someone's coming!"

In an instant, his expression changed drastically: "Not good, it's Barrett!"