Chapter 109: Black Death
Nightmare World, Silvermoon City
Eric slowly opened his clouded eyes, staring at the dim ceiling in a daze. But as his senses returned, his gaze sharpened with urgency.
He sat up instantly, activating his magic swordsman's perception. His senses cut through his body and focused on the room, its details now clear in his mind.
There was a sudden clattering sound as dishes and chopsticks fell to the ground. Someone seemed startled in the darkness, and a timid voice called out: "Grandpa, are you okay?"
Eric ignored the voice. His perception expanded, releasing a torrent of magical energy, the immense aura of a Golden Supreme surging uncontrollably. Anxiety flickered in his eyes. He could no longer sense the White Plague.
The White Plague was the Federation's hope for the future. If something had happened to him, it would be tragic, but it was nothing compared to the danger that could come to the White Plague.
His powerful magic began to make the room tremble. Outside, it sounded as though a dungeon had been disturbed—lights flickering on as his aura spread.
In the distance, the sound of heavy armor clanking echoed. People in silver armor, their faces weary, gathered quickly.
The air grew thick with energy as more powerful auras surged, clashing with Eric's own. Gold-level auras—many, more than three at the top—were present.
Eric was shocked. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't have time for this. This place was too strange, and he needed to find the White Plague immediately.
Clang!
The long sword slid from its sheath with a flash of cold light, filling the room with a sharp tension. The legendary giant sword's presence made the air around it buzz with danger.
Bang!
A faint sound echoed as something hit the floor. Eric looked down, his sharp gaze landing on a small, dirty face staring up at him.
The boy was thin and scared, his hands rough and already bleeding from where the bowl had fallen.
Eric fixed his eyes on the child, and with a slight gesture, a force tugged the boy to the bed. A space ring flashed, and two bottles of potions appeared beside him.
"This will help you. Drink it, and it will strengthen your body."
As he spoke, more auras approached. Eric stepped out, sword in hand, as a terrifying battle spirit took shape in the sky above. Unlike the shadow of Mossen, this one was clearer, its facial features unmistakable—the shadow of the old city lord himself.
In the eerie quiet of the dungeon, surrounded by magic energies, the only sound was the soft clash of metal.
Bang!
A soft thud sounded as a middle-aged man in heavy armor landed before Eric, his solemn expression full of tension. Despite being a Gold-level warrior, he felt a crushing pressure from the old man, realizing just how dangerous this sword was.
The man paused, clearly thinking, before speaking slowly, "Strong outsider, do you know someone named Bai Yi?"
As soon as the words left his lips, the oppressive air around them grew thicker, heavy with murderous intent. Eric calmly met his gaze. If this escalated, they would pay a price they couldn't afford.
Before he could act, a communication device buzzed. The murderous gleam in Eric's eyes vanished instantly. The voice on the other end was familiar: it was Bai Yi.
At the Same Time, Beacon City
A thick black fog covered the city, the full moon's light struggling to break through. The air was thick with the sounds of weak coughing from abandoned rooms, the inhabitants infected with an incurable disease, waiting for death—and for a miracle cure that may never come.
In the depths of the fog, shadows moved quickly, figures unfazed by the Black Death Curse that had so terrified the world.
"Damn it..."
The muffled curses echoed through the streets, startling rats that scurried away into the sewers.
Tap, tap, tap.
Behind the man, a group of figures in death robes and bird-beak masks followed closely, neither hurrying nor slowing. They looked like grim reapers, chilling in their silent procession.
As they passed, the rats cautiously returned, spying on the group as they disappeared into the mist.
Step.
A faint footstep echoed beside the rats, causing them to freeze in fear. Before they could react, a booted foot came down sharply.
Click.
The sound was sharp and final. Charles stood, eyes filled with a dark glint. Were the plague doctors insane? Why were they after him?
"How's the situation?" Charles spoke into a walkie-talkie.
Zizi~
The response was filled with static, making it hard to hear. "Those mutants have gone wild. Most of the sacrifices have been captured."
Charles' eyes narrowed with even more intensity. "Then sacrifice them. As long as it weakens this world, the ancient god... ha."
Zizi~
The voice crackled, "God senses something... They need the origin, Zizi—"
The line went silent. Murderous intent flashed in Charles' eyes. He stepped forward, blood staining the ground beneath him. As he moved, his form flickered out of sight. In his place stood a plague doctor, fully dressed in a death robe.
His demeanor had changed, becoming eerily similar to the others in the room, embodying a cold, numbing hope.
With haste, the doctor moved to the left.
[S-001 - Black Death]
Appearance: A black cup covered with mysterious inscriptions.
Origin: Unknown.
Function: Every six months, a living being must drink the Black Death pathogen in the cup. The drinker will transform into a dangerous creature ranging from C-level to S-level. If the liquid is not consumed, it overflows and spreads the Black Death Curse into the air, eventually engulfing the entire kingdom.
Current pollution index: 0.3 during the day, 0.8 at night.
Location: Base No. 3, Epidemic Medical Shelter Facility.
Warning: Do not attempt to destroy S-001. Doing so will increase the pollution by 0.1, and the object will respawn randomly in any location.
[S-002 - Spread]
Appearance: A grey-skinned human.
Origin: A legendary wizard of the Fenghuo Kingdom. After death, his power was amplified. Anyone who meets his gaze becomes infected with the Black Death Curse.
Before his death, he voluntarily entered a high-level internment camp, but after the disaster, the camp could not contain his activities. He is now responsible for the destruction of three cities and millions of lives.
Warning: Do not speak his name. Anyone who does will summon S-002, who will then destroy everything in its sight.
Cannot be destroyed, contained, or restrained.
[S-003 - Instant Death]
Bai Yi stared at the dangerous object information, his eyes wide with shock. There were more than thirty S-level objects, each capable of wiping out a city. Worse still, they were all immortal.
It seemed that the source of everything was S-001, but Bai Yi had an unsettling feeling. The mention of the space ban by the plague doctor made things even murkier.
In the mage records from outside, there was no mention of such a ban, nor was there any historical account of it. This felt off, especially given the ancient gods' era—there should have been records of such things, unless...
Bai Yi shook his head, clearing away the unsettling thoughts. This could be an artificial rule of the nightmare world, or perhaps something deeper was at play.
For now, his priority was to find the world's core. He needed to max out his skill in creating the Black Death Curse—perhaps repeated use would spark some inspiration.
"Mr. Bai Yi, the number of people captured in Fenghuo City has reached 500. Would you like to see them?" A plague doctor entered the study, speaking respectfully.
"Alright." Bai Yi stood up, placing the book he'd just picked up back on the shelf to make room for the plague doctor's set.
"The prisoners cannot be kept in the dungeon. Since it's night, you should wear protective gear. It will significantly reduce the chances of contracting the Black Death Curse." The plague doctor said, holding out a death suit and bird-beak mask for Bai Yi.
Bai Yi didn't hesitate. He stored the Apocalypse Curtain in his space ring and quickly donned the plague doctor's attire.
Pah~
As he dressed, tentacles erupted from his body but were swiftly suppressed by the White Plague. He still held A-031 in his hand, unable to return to the light side.
This artifact seemed to have special functions that he was eager to investigate. He had noticed that his darker side could wield such dangerous objects with little to no consequence. However, prolonged use of his dark side left him feeling irritated. Despite this, he could suppress the feeling, and it didn't affect his reasoning.
After fastening the bird-beak mask, Bai Yi felt a strain on his breathing. He found himself gasping more than usual, and a strange floral scent filled the air, as though something was being blocked. His vision grew slightly blurry, seeing everything through a yellowish haze.
Once his attire was in place, Bai Yi followed the plague doctor outside to a building that resembled a colosseum. Surrounding it were other plague doctors, idly observing the scene within. The lead plague doctor appeared to be a gold-tier specialist.
Gold-level plague doctors were currently investigating the "evil thoughts" brought on by the White Plague, a matter of urgent concern.
Inside, Bai Yi found a group of captives bound and staring fiercely at their surroundings, their eyes wild and vigilant, almost animalistic.
He glanced around, then addressed the gold-tier doctor, "Have you captured any gold-tier individuals?"
The plague doctor took a half step back, discomfort clear in his posture. The White Plague had an unsettling presence, one that many found unnerving, especially after years of battling dangerous creatures.
But remembering the orders from the higher-ups, the doctor responded respectfully, "There are five gold-tier outsiders in Fenghuo City. Three have been identified and are currently being detained."
Bai Yi surveyed the prisoners thoughtfully, then raised his hand.
A bottle of potion fell into the center of the colosseum and spun violently. It shattered, releasing a dark green mist that quickly spread across the ground.
Turning away, Bai Yi spoke, "Let's go. There's no need to stay. You should proceed with the executions in the other two cities. I trust those who need to do the research have done so. There's nothing useful about the ancient gods."
[You killed a level 21 orc using alchemical poison. Experience +80, additional experience +80.]
[You used alchemical poison.]
The gold-tier plague doctor hesitated for a moment before gesturing for the others. Dozens of plague doctors quickly evacuated, aware of the lethal properties of the green liquid Bai Yi had just unleashed.
In this disease-ridden country, all plague doctors were trained to recognize such substances. And just as Bai Yi said, they could not solely rely on his word. They had obtained information about the ancient gods from their captives and summoned Bai Yi to investigate.
The official organizations now trusted Bai Yi more, their respect for him growing.
Back in the dungeon, Bai Yi fumbled with A-031 in one hand while reading a book in the other. He was still wearing the plague doctor's suit because the book's clever design required it. Only while wearing the suit could one read beyond the first page. Otherwise, the book only revealed the manufacturing process of the plague doctor suit—a safeguard against the Black Death Curse, which was undoubtedly a god-level phenomenon, but not necessarily requiring god-level technology to create.
This was highly dangerous.
As time passed, Bai Yi's expression grew increasingly solemn beneath his bird-beak mask.
The method of creating the Black Death Curse was linked to the New God Era, revealing important clues. He closed the book, stood up, and walked out.
"Mr. Bai Yi, where are you going?" A plague doctor at the door asked urgently.
"Tell Mr. Zai that I need to meet S-001," Bai Yi ordered. "If my hypothesis about the Black Death Curse is correct, then this disaster, which devastated the country, might not have been directly caused by the ancient gods. It seems their role might not be as evil as we've believed."
The plague doctor blinked in surprise but quickly nodded. "Wait here, I need to check something."
He hurried to the left passage, and within moments, another plague doctor appeared and moved aside with clear unease. After all, Bai Yi's aura and presence were not easily withstood by ordinary people, especially when holding the faceless mask.
About five minutes later, Zai arrived, his expression calm. "Mr. Bai Yi, what do you need to see S-001 for?"
"I have a theory that may reveal the origins of the Black Death Curse," Bai Yi explained. "To verify this, I need to examine the pathogen."
Zai regarded him thoughtfully for a long moment before nodding. "I trust you. Follow me."
The two walked briskly, soon reaching the innermost part of the building.
There, a steel door stood, beyond which lay a passage descending into the unknown. The yellowish light illuminated the stairs, casting a strange glow.
Bai Yi's expression, hidden behind the mask, grew more serious. This information was crucial—and dangerous. He hoped it was true, but part of him feared what it might reveal.
After descending for about two hundred meters, they arrived at a wooden door. It was unlike any other—blood perpetually oozed from it, yet instead of pooling on the ground, it vanished into thin air.
Bai Yi paused, surprised. They were actually using dangerous objects as doors?
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