Michael stepped forward strongly. Arrows flew at him, but they were blocked by his Mana Shield. The Shield then turned into a current of mana. A whisper left his lips as the chanting was completed.

“Mana Wave.”

The Skill dug into the walls and bodies of all of those unfortunate enough to be in its path. Michael tried not to kill anyone, despite the difference in power. The process of learning and improving Mana Field had taught him much about mana control. Simultaneously, his rationality argued that it shouldn’t be done. It was because he had sensed a critical difference between Lohann’s men and Derek’s people. While Derek’s comrades were mostly ordinary people who had been coerced into joining his organization, Lohann’s men were different. Michael saw no hesitation in their eyes. Each and every one of them struck at his vital spots, fully intent on killing him.

Mercy couldn’t be shown towards those who tried to kill him. It was a basic law of survival. He repeated this in his head endlessly as he fought.

A man came running at him, wielding a sword with surprising skill. He was fast and accurate. The blade was swung at Michael’s throat in a wide arc. Michael could see the hopeful gazes of those who had been maimed by his Mana Wave. He merely took a large step back as a Mana Sphere coalesced above his staff in less than a second. The sword hit nothing but air. The next moment, the Sphere severed the attacker’s right arm. The light died within the eyes of his surrounding enemies. Michael took a deep breath and cast another Skill.

“Mana Wave.”

It was the full moon pattern. Around him, blood splashed onto the walls of the tunnel, creating a grotesque painting. Only the sword-wielding attacker was left alive. Michael noticed that the man was going into shock.

“Minor Heal.”

A wave of green mana coursed through the man’s body, stopping his bleeding within a few seconds. Michael grabbed his head as his eyes went back into focus.

“Where do you usually meet Lohann?”

The man blinked. His face slowly contorted into a crazed smile. It was the fourth time that Michael had tried to interrogate someone, but it was the first time that expression had been shown. The man openly laughed and spoke in a mocking tone.

“Having some trouble, are we? Go fuck yourself.”

Michael slammed the man’s face on the ground, instantly knocking him out. Blood pooled underneath it, but at this point, Michael didn’t pay it too much attention. The man would live. With a deep sigh, he stood up once more.

Only way to move is forward.

He needed to fully explore this location before discarding it, even though it was almost certain that Lohann wasn’t there. It was the first of the two hideouts Derek had pointed out, and for all intents and purposes, it seemed like his enemies had been completely ready for Michael’s arrival. It wasn’t to the extent that he would consider the place a trap, but Lohann had certainly moved his people while knowing about the hideouts Derek was aware of. His arrival hadn’t even been surprising. As a sole good point, Lohann had underestimated Michael’s individual power. He was able to easily tear through the enemies guarding the place.

Michael made his way down the natural tunnel. Every so often, the tunnel would get wider, creating a space similar to a clearing. Every time this happened, enemies would be waiting for him. Their weapons failed to pierce through his Shield, and they weren’t fast enough to avoid Michael’s Skills. Any blows that did manage to draw blood were quickly rendered null by Minor Heal. At this point, against people like them, Michael was an unstoppable force of nature. Yet, the enemies only felt momentary hesitation before throwing themselves at him. It didn’t make sense.

If they know I have defeated every group before them, how can they keep fighting?

It wasn’t a matter of loyalty or belief in a cause. It was as if the followers lacked basic self-preservation instincts. It was to the point that Michael seriously suspected that there was some kind of Skill behind their willingness to throw their lives away. How had Lohann achieved this? It was virtually impossible to recruit this many people with such characteristics.

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Did that fucker somehow attract and recruit every crazy bastard he could find?

Michael was certain that only the best followers were openly placed in his path, but even so, their number was too high. He had enough leeway to be lost in these thoughts even as he entered another wide area filled with enemies. This pattern repeated itself a few times – enough to make Michael question the length of the cave – but in the end, there was nothing. The cave simply opened up into a larger space with nothing but a few enemies and traces of crude, man-made “rooms.” On the way, Michael had tried to question more followers, to no success. They all displayed an unwillingness to share anything. It was unthinkable and unbelievably frustrating.

Not even a single talker.

It was beyond the realm of “unlikely.” A thought stayed in his mind like an itch he couldn’t scratch. A hunch told him that something was up, but there was no way for him to confirm it. At least, not yet. There was still the possibility that he had simply run into batches of Lohann’s most loyal hunting dogs. This scenario displayed Lohann’s absolute confidence in the people he had selected.

Michael let out a sigh. He started making his way back to the entrance. The pained moans and groans of the ones he’d spared could be heard, but by this point, Michael didn’t care. It was then that a thought struck him. If Lohann contacted one of the survivors, wouldn’t they be able to feed him information? They would disclose Michael’s location and powers. The most rational course of action would be to kill all the witnesses. It would ensure the safety of this entire operation. It would all be for naught if Lohann managed to prepare himself even more.

Michael stopped walking. He hesitated. At that moment, Danger Sense sent a tingle down his spine. The sound of a blade cutting through the air reached his ears. His senses went into overdrive. He reacted before he could even think, sidestepping. A blade stabbed through the spot where his heart had just been. Michael didn’t let the surprise paralyze him. He swiftly turned around and kicked the attacker’s lower body while the man was still retrieving his sword. Due to the large gap between their Strength stats, the man unceremoniously collapsed with a grunt.

A Mana Sphere hovered over Michael’s left hand. He stared deeply into the follower’s eyes. He saw a mixture of desperation and killing intent, but no remorse. It was obvious that the attacker didn’t regret trying to kill Michael out of nowhere. He dismissed the Mana Sphere and grabbed the man’s neck after kicking away his blade.

“Where is Lohann?”

Simultaneously, he focused the entirety of his attention on the man, attempting to notice even the most minute changes in the man’s expression. At that moment, for the first time, he noticed… Something. He didn’t know what it was, but something was different about the man in front of him. Deep within the attacker’s eyes, a hint of fear shone through, almost imperceptible. In an instant, Michael realized that this man was different from the last one he had questioned. There was no crazed smile or conviction in his expression. The man opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Michael’s mind flashed back to what Rose had told him.

As if they couldn’t speak, even if they wanted to.

He dragged the man to a pool of blood as fast as he could.

“Use the blood and write the answer on the walls.”

The follower shivered, then tentatively stretched out his finger and dipped it in the blood. As he raised his hand toward the wall, however, he froze. He gritted his teeth, but his arm simply didn’t move. It was then that Michael’s suspicion turned into certainty.

What kind of Skill can do this?

It was unlike anything he had come across. Yet, he was forced to consider it. He spoke.

“Thank you for your effort. You allowed me to realize something.”

The man looked at him, myriad emotions mixing together in his gaze. There was no longer any way to distinguish between them. Michael delivered a swift jab to the follower’s chin, making him go unconscious. He cast Whisper. Viktor’s voice came out of the floating mouth.

“Did you find him?”

Michael spoke as he rushed out of the hideout.

“No, but I’ve discovered that something is up with the followers. I don’t know what it is yet, but it seems to be a Skill that doesn’t allow them to talk about or reveal Lohann’s location. I don’t know what else it does. Avoid killing them as much as possible until we know the Skill’s exact effects.”

Viktor went silent for a few seconds for a few seconds.

“I agree. We tried questioning a few of Lohann’s followers, but not a single one talked. So, we changed the question to ‘Where should we go next.’ Suddenly, several of them spoke. Your assumption makes sense. We haven’t killed many of them; none among the Challengers are comfortable with killing.”

Michael blinked. Finally, some good news.

“What did you find out?”

“We found out about a spot where Lohann supposedly met with his closest followers. If your assumption is correct, however, there’s no way to confirm if this information is true.”

“Where is it?”

“Two kilometers northwest of where you are, a cave under the glow of a giant mushroom.”

Michael didn’t rejoice.

“I’m heading over there. Be careful. Because of a Skill or not, these followers are too… Devoted. There’s no telling what they’re capable of doing.”

“I know. Good luck.”

Michael dismissed the connection. The hunt for Lohann continued.