Chapter 213: The First Clear Kill

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: The First Clear Kill

She moved so fast she was a blur, each motion concise and efficient. Black ichor flew through the air as severed tentacles writhed on the ground, only to be crushed underfoot moments later.

Victor Warner and Selene Lawson could only hear a flurry of blades slicing through the air and the wet squelch of severed tentacles behind them. Forget turning around—the muscles in their necks were frozen stiff as they kept hammering on the door.

The terrifying tentacles, the pressure at the door, the suffocating fear!

And her...

’Is she really even human?’

Victor Warner swallowed hard, only now realizing what an incredibly right decision he had made.

’Forget teaming up with Selene Lawson. Even if there were two more of me and three more of her, we still wouldn’t be a match for Seraphina Sinclair!’

’Her attribute points must be overwhelmingly high. Plus her runes, and all her other unfathomable skills.’

Victor Warner stiffly swung his arms, smashing the hammer against the door with all his might.

But time ticked by, and right on schedule, the fifth wave of monsters arrived!

Seraphina Sinclair yanked Victor Warner and Selene Lawson aside. After a quick glance at the cracks in the door, she made an instant decision. "Back to the outpost."

"Back...?" Selene Lawson raised her head. Sweat had soaked her bangs, and a stubborn madness was in her eyes.

’She could compromise with Seraphina Sinclair once to save her own skin, but she would never follow her every order like a dog!’

But she had been looking down the whole time. It wasn’t until she looked up just now that she finally saw the situation clearly.

Swarms of bugs...

No, those weren’t bugs.

The monsters were covered in countless eyes, with slender appendages extending from their sides. At first glance, they resembled insects or spiders, but a closer look revealed that their heads were horrifyingly human faces, and their appendages ended in long, slender fingers!

’Not go back to the outpost...’

’And just stand here waiting to die?’

"Go back! Go back!" Selene Lawson shrieked. She dropped the hammer in her hand and scrambled back.

Victor Warner, however, proved more reliable in that moment. He quickly bent down, picked up the discarded hammer, and, holding one in each hand, scuttled back into the outpost like a two-legged crab.

Seraphina Sinclair watched it all unfold. "..."

’Whatever. As long as they’re alive.’

’Otherwise, I would have had to use my own Sunflower for the Clear Kill.’

’Even though Sunflower gets really noisy the moment it enters a dungeon, gets noisy whenever it sees something new, and even calls me ’little human’ in my head from time to time, it’s still *my* Sunflower!’

’Seraphina was one to hold a grudge, but she couldn’t bring herself to watch her Sunflower wither.’

’Even though the system panel said it wouldn’t have any effect on the Sunflower.’

’That’s probably just talking about its physical body. After all, withering is a big deal!’

’Who knows if it would cause psychological problems for Sunflower?’

’Better to be safe than sorry.’

Seraphina Sinclair stood before the outpost, stared at the monsters, and used Insight.

The first monsters to appear were only F-level—the absolute trash-tier. The next few waves were all F+. And now... Seraphina Sinclair fell silent for a moment, then a silent smile touched her lips.

E-level monsters!

So many!

The moment she saw their level, Seraphina Sinclair knew. This was the perfect time to use Clear Kill.

She glanced back. Victor Warner was stuffing the hammer he’d brought back into Selene Lawson’s hand, muttering, "It’s okay, Ms. Lawson. Master Blacktiger is here. We’ll be fine."

Selene Lawson rolled her eyes and said nothing.

But Seraphina had a subtle understanding of her meaning. ’It’s precisely because Master Blacktiger is here that we’re in trouble, isn’t it? If we had been with normal teammates, everyone would have agreed to quit the dungeon by now!’

’Is that what she’s thinking?’

But Seraphina couldn’t care less.

She stuck her hands in her pockets and walked over. Seeing that both of their gazes were on her, she spoke slowly. "I think it’s time we use Clear Kill."

"Use Clear Kill?"

Victor Warner and Selene Lawson’s faces instantly paled. They both knew what that meant.

The first Clear Kill might not be dangerous, but it sets a precedent.

"Haha... Master, oh, Master, is there no room for negotiation?" Victor Warner began his clownish performance again. "The monsters outside can’t be that strong, can they? You’re so powerful, you should be able to hold them off easily, right? We don’t absolutely have to use Clear Kill, right?"

Selene Lawson also nodded, a trace of doubt in her gaze towards Seraphina Sinclair.

Seraphina Sinclair shrugged and showed them the results from her Insight.

"What?!" Victor Warner yelled, pointing at the letter on the screen. "E-level monsters? Are all of them out there E-level?! Every single one?!"

Seraphina Sinclair scoffed at Victor Warner’s dramatic reaction. "Obviously. Why else would I suggest using Clear Kill?"

Her gaze swept over the twisted, slowly approaching monsters outside. "An E-level monster isn’t a big deal on its own, but there are just too many of them. It’s not that the three of us couldn’t fight them head-on, but the cost would be immense. And don’t forget, we still haven’t gotten through that door. I can look after myself, but I can’t guarantee the same for you two."

Selene Lawson stared intently at the letter "E" on the screen, her fingertips turning white from the pressure.

’Encountering just one of them normally would require her full, cautious effort—let alone this veritable tide of them.’

"...Use it." Selene Lawson’s voice was dry, carrying a resigned fatigue. "If we don’t use it now, we might not get another chance."

Victor Warner opened his mouth to speak, but after looking at the twisted, human-faced monsters outside, he swallowed his plea and nodded in dejection.

With the decision unanimous, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t hesitate.

She stood up and initiated the first Clear Kill vote.

A selection panel immediately popped up in front of the three of them. One vote per person, and the votes would be made public after all three had voted.

A wry smile played on Seraphina Sinclair’s lips. "Which of you two wants to go first?"

Victor Warner looked at Selene Lawson, who was staring fixedly at the panel before her, her gaze unwavering.

After a moment’s stalemate, Victor Warner conceded. "I’ll go first."

After saying this, he seemed reluctant to let it go and added, "Ms. Lawson, you’re up next time."

Selene Lawson remained noncommittal, simply raising her hand and lightly tapping the panel in front of her.

Seraphina Sinclair followed, raising her hand to touch it.

All three finished voting. The panel disappeared and then reappeared.

[This Clear Kill will use the Sunflower from survivor Victor Warner! This Sunflower has been used: 1 time!]

An invisible ripple suddenly expanded outward, centered on the outpost.

They had wasted some time, so a monster had already entered the building just as the vote concluded.

And at that very moment, the Clear Kill activated.

The monster froze in place, as if someone had hit a pause button.