Novel Full Chapter 381: Returning to Mantis Town.
Chapter 381: Returning to Mantis Town.
Standing at the top of the dune, Thoren’s expression was complicated.
’I made a mistake...’ he whispered under his breath.
Now that he thought about it carefully, he did make a mistake. His sight had been on the Young Lord and the three Scorpion Men as he could not wait to have them become part of his undead legion.
Thus, he forgot one important thing.
Questions.
Yes, questions.
Caught in the moment, he forgot to keep the Young Lord for questioning. Even if he did not keep the Young Lord, he could have at least left one of the three Scorpion Men alive.
Sigh!
He shook his head as he decided not to think about it.
"There will be more chances in the future," he said softly before he focused his attention on the blinking notification.
[Experience Gained +180,000]
[Summoned Entities: Experience Gained +90,000]
[Level: 14(214,130/75,000)]
[Level Up!]
[Unassigned Attribute Points +5]
[Level: 15(139,130/91,000)]
[Level Up!]
[Unassigned Attribute Points +5]
[Level: 16(48,130/109,000)]
"Four more levels to go," he whispered without any change in his expression.
This was the cumulative result of his past hunts, and the result did not surprise him. Quickly, he shifted his gaze to the notification for his undead servants.
[Summoned Entities]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[...]
A series of level ups under the summoned entities flashed before his eyes, which did not come as a surprise to him.
Out of his undead beasts, the undead Sanguine Vulture Spawns had all jumped a level.
Now, they had all grown stronger, and the strongest among them was a Level 29 undead Sanguine Vulture while the lowest was Level 27.
As for his main vanguard, they also moved up by a level.
The undead Storm Tyrant, the undead Royalty Stonewall, and the undead Guild Captain leveled up and became Level 31, while the undead Elite Jackal Beastman leveled up to Level 32.
As for the undead elite squad, they all moved up a level, and the weakest was Level 28.
Looking at the rapid development of his undead legion, Thoren nodded his head with a pleased expression.
The hunt had not been wasted.
In a single night, his undead legion had changed greatly.
With that out of his way, he raised his head and looked in Mantis Town’s direction.
With his current strength, he could now move sideways on the Crimson Dunes without any fear.
With a mental command, a massive undead serpent emerged from beneath the dune.
The sand split apart silently as its long body rose from the ground.
Its skeletal scales reflected the dim bloody moonlight, and its hollow eyes burned with cold soul fire.
And without hesitation, Thoren mounted its back.
Whoosh!
The undead serpent charged toward Mantis Town at breathtaking speed, leaving behind the horrifying battleground.
Silence permeated the dune, but then, the ground began to move, shaking slightly as if beasts were moving underground.
Corpses sank gradually into the ground as the Bleeding Desert feasted greedily.
The blood soaked sand shifted.
Broken weapons disappeared.
Torn limbs vanished beneath the red grains.
The battlefield that had been filled with screams, spells, and slaughter slowly returned to its original silence, as if nothing had ever happened.
Only the faint scent of blood lingered in the cold desert wind.
...
...
Standing before the Mantis Town gate, the Crimson Arc Guild members on patrol wore solemn expressions.
The town had been under a tense atmosphere for the past couple of days, and many had tried to sneak into the town.
With the continuously rising tension of the town, Solenne had increased the town’s security.
Now, even with enough silver coins, awakeners and beastmen were not allowed into the town.
While the guards stood before the gate, their spears gleamed under the moonlight.
Their eyes searched the darkness repeatedly.
Their hands never left their weapons.
The events of the past few days had made everyone cautious, and no one dared assume that the night would remain peaceful.
Suddenly, their muscles tensed up, and their grips on their weapons tightened.
From the distance, a figure approached calmly.
"Stay back!" a voice shouted among the guards. "The town gate is not yet open. Do not come any closer, or you will be attacked."
Instantly, a thick, suffocating tension hung in the atmosphere. All the guards held their breath with their gazes locked on the approaching figure.
With such a strict warning, many would have stopped or contemplated, but to their surprise, the figure’s steps did not falter.
It was as if he did not hear their warning.
Standing on the wall, Orric’s expression was solemn. He prepared to jump down and stop the intruder when he froze.
Silver hair.
Blue eyes.
Now that the figure was close to the town gate, they could finally see his figure clearly.
"T-This..." he gasped for a moment.
"Are you going to keep me waiting?" Thoren said softly, his voice breaking the still atmosphere.
Hmm?
The frozen members of the Crimson Arc Guild woke up from their stupor.
"What are you doing?" Orric shouted. "Open the gate quickly."
Without waiting for the men to open the gate, he rushed down the stairs to open the gate himself.
Apart from Thoren’s overwhelming strength, he was Black Water.
A figure with unlimited resources.
Even if their guild master was here, she would not dare be disrespectful to him.
The heavy gate opened slowly, its hinges groaning in the quiet night.
The guards stepped aside immediately, lowering their spears in respect.
Some looked at Thoren with relief.
Some looked at him with awe.
Some looked at him with the kind of fear reserved for someone whose name had already become a warning.
Walking inside the town, Orric walked behind Thoren by a couple of feet with a fawning smile.
"Young Lord, the Guild Master has been expecting you," Orric said with a bright smile.
"Not only the Guild Master. Many people have arrived in the town wanting to see you."
Thoren did not respond as he listened to Orric’s chatter while he made his way to the Crimson Arc Guild.
The street was quiet, leaving only a few members of the Crimson Arc Guild and the Mantis Men patrolling the street.
When they saw Orric and Thoren, they were surprised at first and quickly showed their respect.
Even the Mantis Men did not hesitate to pay their respect.
Their antennae lowered slightly.
Their sharp arms folded close to their bodies.
Some of them stared at Thoren with grateful eyes, while others carried visible nervousness.
To them, Thoren was no ordinary human.
He was Black Water.
He was the one whose arrival had changed the fate of Mantis Town.
With tacit understanding, no one spread the news. Each side continued their patrol as if the Grim Reaper had not just returned.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the guild headquarters. Everyone that saw Thoren could not help but widen their eyes in disbelief before their expressions turned into joy.
With him returning, they knew the threat hanging over the town could be alleviated.
Others might not be able to do it, but definitely, the Grim Reaper could do it with ease.
Unknown to Thoren, he had become a power pillar among the Crimson Arc Guild and the Mantis Men.
Their faith in him was growing with each passing day.
If his overwhelming strength against the beast tide had already won them over, his Black Water store had made everyone trust him.
They believed he was a good person and that he was looking after the people of Mantis Town.
However, if Thoren were to hear this, he would be stunned.
Good person.
He was far from it.
He knew everything he did in Mantis Town was for his own personal selfish reasons.
Nothing like being good.
To him, Mantis Town was useful.
The Crimson Arc Guild was useful.
The town was a shield, a bait, a market, and a foundation for his future movements in the Crimson Dunes.
Still, results mattered more than intentions.
Creak!
Orric opened Solenne’s office room.
"Young Lord, please wait a moment. The Guild Master will arrive shortly," he said respectfully.
Thoren nodded and took his seat calmly while Orric departed.
Quickly, news of his arrival spread throughout the Crimson Arc Guild.
Those that were asleep were woken up.
Those patrolling the walls heard the news in whispers. The person everyone had been waiting for had finally stepped back into Mantis Town.
Resting his chin on his palm, the door to the office was pushed open from the outside, and Solenne walked in.
Her hair was scattered around her face, but she seemed not to care.
Her gaze locked on the figure seated on the seat, and a deep breath escaped through her nose.
For the first time in two days, the weight pressing on her chest loosened slightly.
The town had been on the edge.
The Mantis Men were being pressured. Now, the source of everything has finally returned.
Taking a deep breath, she walked calmly to her seat.
"You are finally back," she said coldly, trying to hide her happiness.
"I thought you had forgotten us," she said sarcastically.