Read Novel Full Chapter 524: Too Much Heat
Chapter 524: Too Much Heat
Outside the ruined entrance, the scene had already changed completely.
Broken stone lay everywhere. Blood ran in dark lines across the ground, and bodies in Black Star headbands were scattered around the collapsed opening. Some had lost limbs. Some were cut cleanly. Some looked like they had been smashed apart by raw force.
Standing near the entrance were members of ChaosKnight.
ChaosCleric had one hand on his hip and the other raised slightly as he stared at the carnage with his mouth half open. Beside him stood the usual silent Vv and one nervous player who kept glancing from the bodies to the tunnel below.
"What in the seven seas is going on here?" ChaosCleric blurted out.
He turned sharply toward the player beside him. "This is the place, right? You said you spotted White Phantom around here."
The player nodded quickly. "Yes. I had a mission nearby and saw him heading this way. I knew it was him, so I reported it right away."
His eyes moved over the corpses again, and his throat tightened.
"I think he did all this."
ChaosCleric looked back toward the entrance.
He knew Black Star by reputation. Every serious player did. They hunted players, set traps, stalked targets, and ruined people for less than this. That part made sense. The part that did not make sense was White Phantom coming straight for them.
"Why would he even bother?" ChaosCleric muttered.
That thought sat wrong in his chest.
Back in the past, IceQueen had once sent messengers to Torin of Black Star to deal with Gabriel Reyes. That was before everything spiraled out of control. Instead of removing him, Black Star had been spawn killing the players involved and sending them back to Beginner Town in Whitebridge. It had turned into a mess fast, and ChaosKnight had kept its distance from the group ever since. (Chapter 246)
ChaosCleric still remembered how annoying it had been. However, IceQueen had been smart enough to stop chasing Black Star.
He rubbed the side of his face and let out a breath.
Part of him wanted to feel happy that White Phantom was tearing through those people. Another part did not know where White Phantom truly stood. The man had already killed several players in Monkey Paradise, and that was not something people forgot easily.
While he was still thinking, Vv started walking.
ChaosCleric blinked and turned.
"Hey," he called out. "Where are you going?"
Vv did not answer.
The silent figure kept moving toward the tunnel with that same calm pace, one step after another into the broken entrance.
ChaosCleric clicked his tongue.
"Of course."
Reluctantly, he moved after Vv. The nervous player swallowed and followed too, though his steps were clearly less steady than before.
The inside of the base felt wrong from the start.
The deeper they stepped, the warmer the air became. At first, it was only uncomfortable. A few more steps later, sweat had already formed on the back of the player’s neck.
ChaosCleric frowned. "It’s too hot in here."
He loosened the front of his collar slightly and kept going, though his eyes were now more alert. The tunnel stretched ahead in dim red light, and the walls looked tighter than they should have.
Vv kept walking without pause.
The heat kept rising the farther they went. It was not ordinary underground warmth. It pressed into the skin and made each breath feel thinner.
ChaosCleric’s expression changed.
The player beside him wiped his forehead and muttered, "Something’s not right."
No one answered him. Their throats were simply too dry to reply.
A few seconds later, something worse started.
ChaosCleric suddenly felt a strange weakness in his limbs. It was small at first, but it spread quickly. His chest felt tighter. His throat dried up faster than before.
"What... what is this?" the player asked, his voice cracking.
ChaosCleric stopped and pressed one hand against the wall to steady himself.
His health was draining.
The realization hit hard enough that his face changed at once. He was not being attacked directly, yet the deeper heat of the base was eating away at him all the same. That made one thing clear in his mind.
White Phantom had moved through this place, fought, and kept going while they were already struggling just from entering.
ChaosCleric’s breathing turned rougher. He said through clenched teeth, "This is insane."
"We need to go back," the player suggested. "We need to leave now."
Though the two were clearly struggling, Vv kept walking as if not feeling anything.
ChaosCleric looked up and called again. "Vv!"
No answer came.
The player beside him suddenly staggered. His body shook once, and his face went pale enough to lose all color.
"I can’t..." he started.
His words cut off, and a second later, his body broke apart into data fragments right there in the tunnel. The pieces of light scattered and disappeared, leaving ChaosCleric staring at the empty spot with wide eyes.
For a brief moment, he could only hear his own heartbeat.
ChaosCleric stumbled back a step and stopped completely. He could not keep going.
Every instinct in him screamed that one more step deeper inside would end the same way. He was not built for this. Maybe White Phantom was some kind of monster. Maybe the people fighting deeper in the base were even worse. Whatever the answer was, he had reached his limit.
Ahead of him, the sound of battle still carried loudly. The walls shook faintly. Distant impacts traveled through the stone. Once in a while, a muffled crash rolled up the tunnel like thunder trapped underground.
ChaosCleric stared deeper in and swallowed hard.
"What kind of people are fighting in there?"
What shocked him more was not just that battle.
It was Vv.
The armored figure was still moving forward into that heat as if nothing was wrong, disappearing deeper into the base while ChaosCleric could only stand there and watch
...
Thanks to all those who support this Novel!