With a swift sidestep, Aldric's blade sliced cleanly through the neck of a heavily armored mutant. The creature's thick, pale-purple blood oozed sluggishly from the wound, sticky and foul-smelling, almost like glue. Its head was covered with wriggling, hair-thin tendrils, and its face was overlaid with uneven scales that gleamed dully in the dim light.
What a waste of good armor, Aldric thought grimly. The man wearing it had no sense of tactics or technique—just a mindless husk driven purely by bloodlust. There was no finesse in his attacks, only the blind instinct of a beast. Aldric didn't even need to dodge properly; the creature's warped, deformed hands could barely lift the crude spiked hammer it carried.
The weapons forged by the dwarf, Gloin, clearly weren't meant for creatures like these. Even though some of the corrupted ones had grown as large as orcs, their movements lacked any of the agility or discipline of trained fighters. They were, in every sense, cannon fodder.
That shadow assassin fought me before, Aldric thought, eyes narrowing as he scanned the battlefield. He knows these things can't touch me. He wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. Which means… there's someone much stronger still hiding here, someone powerful enough to keep him confident enough to leave.
As he mulled over the thought, something changed. One of the dying mutants on the ground began to mutate again.
From the gaping wound in its neck, that thick, glue-like blood started to bubble and surge as if alive. The moment it met the air, it expanded—ballooning rapidly, just like the bubblegum Aldric used to blow as a kid.
There was no time to confirm his suspicion. Seeing the creature's entire body swelling grotesquely, its skin stretching and turning translucent, Aldric immediately shouted, "Take cover!" toward Vittoria's direction.
With every ounce of strength, he kicked the bloated corpse away from them, sending it rolling violently down the staircase. Vittoria reacted instantly, slamming her shield into position before them, angling it sharply and crouching low behind it, ready to absorb the blast.
The next second—
Boom!
The grotesquely inflated corpse exploded mid-roll, bursting like an overfilled balloon. Bits of flesh and sprays of glue-like blood splattered through the entire chamber.
Aldric saw one of the cultists who had been trying to flee upstairs get drenched in the mess. The man screamed in agony as smoke rose from his skin—the blood was corrosive! His flesh melted before their eyes, and in just a few seconds, the man collapsed to the floor, writhing and then lying still, dead within moments.
Thanks to Vittoria's shield, Aldric narrowly avoided the acidic blast.
The female warrior stood, examining her shield. It was now covered in deep pits and holes, the surface corroded and burnt black like scorched wood. The center was nearly eaten through.
She gave a small shrug and tossed the ruined shield aside casually. "Good thing I'm not the one paying for that," she said dryly.
After confirming that none of the corrupted survived, the pair advanced cautiously toward the second-floor platform, covering each other's movements. The archers who had been harassing them earlier were nowhere to be seen—they had vanished long before the mutant's self-destruction.
On the platform lay a strange sight: a magic circle, drawn in fresh, still-wet blood. The runes pulsed faintly, and from it shimmered a projection suspended in midair—a gateway, like a three-dimensional hologram. No matter which angle they looked from, the image was the same. Through the gate, they could see a winding staircase spiraling endlessly upward, illuminated by lights that flickered red, sickly green, and deep blue, like a rotating lantern of colors.
Aldric and Vittoria carefully examined the entire platform. There was nothing else—no other exits, no signs of life. The only possible explanation for the missing enemies was that they had passed through this arcane doorway projected by the circle.
The strange, foreboding scene made Aldric frown. This wasn't just a big catch anymore—it felt more like they were about to stumble into a shark large enough to capsize the boat.
Still, clinging to a faint hope, they returned to the warehouse entrance, attempting to leave. Yet the crimson chains along the walls didn't respond to touch. They weren't material, but they were undeniably real—locking the entire building in place like spectral serpents.
Vittoria, unwilling to give up, swung her massive Slaughter Flail with full force at the wall. But an invisible barrier absorbed the entire impact effortlessly. The blow landed with a dull thud that raised not even a speck of dust.
"It seems," Aldric said quietly, "no matter how dangerous it is, we'll have to walk straight in."
The female warrior only chuckled. She bent down and sifted through the fallen weapons on the floor, picking out a few decent spares. "Fine by me," she said, hefting them over her shoulder. "Let's go in and kill everything that moves. Those corrupted freaks earlier gave me just enough experience to level up—I even unlocked a new skill, [Rage]. If we run into something tough, leave it to me. If I can't finish it within ninety seconds, then it's all yours."
"Got it," Aldric replied, nodding.
A familiar flicker appeared at the edge of his vision—the system prompt lighting up faintly on his retina.
Battle Summary:
As a witcher, this was your first direct confrontation with humans corrupted by Chaos.
You never imagined that human flesh and soul could be twisted so utterly. Fueled by righteous fury, you tore apart every Chaos cultist and irredeemable abomination that stood in your way.
You gained 2,891 combat experience. Your performance was rated "Excellent." You eliminated all threats cleanly and efficiently.
Combined with your previous "Heroic" battle rating, you receive a total of 3,469 experience points.
The mangled corpses of Chaos cultists litter the ground—each one a testament to your title as [Enemy of Chaos] Continue your slaughter. You may find unexpected rewards in your crusade.
Demons, monsters—none shall hide.
Chaos fiends—nothing more than lambs to the slaughter!
Character Profile:
Name: Aldric Xune
Race: Human – Loess Branch (Racial Trait: Experience Gain ×1.1)
Level: 2
Status: Healthy
Class: Witcher Lv.2 (6259 / 7200 EXP)
Attributes:
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 17 (+1 from equipment)
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 14
Perception: 14
Charisma: 12
Talents:
[Weapon Mastery] (Starting Talent)
[Still Water, Clear Mind] (Starting Talent)
[Lightning Reflexes] (Starting Talent)
[Enemy of Chaos] (Starting Talent)
[Immune to All Diseases] (Class Talent)
[Low-Light Vision] (Class Talent)
Basic Skills:
Strength: Climbing, Jumping, Swimming
Dexterity: Rolling, Riding, Balancing
Constitution: Concentration
Intelligence: Knowledge (Monsters, Arcance, Geography, History), Spell Identification, Crafting
Perception: Wilderness Survival, Insight, Listen
Charisma: Intimidation
Class Skills:
[Sign]: Aard Sign (Trained) (32 / 100)
[Weapon Specialization] (Unselected, Cannot be Upgraded)
Remaining Skill Points: 32
Weapon Proficiencies:
Scimitar: Proficient (4 / 800)
Half-hand Sword: Proficient (21 / 800)
Two-handed Bastard: Proficient (2 / 800)
Straight Saber: Proficient (69 / 800)
Character Background: Omitted
After reviewing his stats and checking his equipment, Aldric adjusted his gear carefully. Then, together with the female warrior, he stepped forward—into the glowing circle and through the mysterious gateway of blood and light.
(End of Chapter)