<h4>Chapter 492 Chapter493-Draining Them Like Spiders </h4>


    "What I could disclose, I''ve already made clear. What I cannot, you could ask me a million times, and I would remain silent."


    "Don''t think Howard can provide any insights; he''s the youngest among us, knowing nothing substantial."


    Two smiled, that same unnervingly non-human smile, like an overly intricate doll that induces disgust rather than admiration.


    "Moreover, should you cross certain lines, I will intervene. As the ''eldest brother,'' it''s my duty to ensure everyone''s safety."


    Having said that, Two stood up, paused, and then added, "Anything else you wish to say? I''ll be taking a rest soon. Although this awakening went smoothly, there are still minor issues I need to address."


    "Remember, you owe me two favors—one for taking a life and another for saving one."


    After pondering for a moment, N realized there was only one thing left to do.


    "Send my regards to your brothers."


    "They will be pleased. After all, it''s been a long time since Howard has been intimate with a girl."


    Wearing that bizarre smile, Two''s golden pupils suddenly extinguished, and its body swayed, refocusing its gaze.


    "What happened? Did we seed?"


    Howard was back.


    Moments ago, it felt as if he was trapped in a pitch-dark box, an absolute void without a sliver of light, devoid of sound, touch, and even the sense of time was elusive.


    This signified "Two" taking over his body, leaving him uncertain to whom the body truly belonged.


    "Your reckless n actually worked," N said with a look of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.


    "I really don''t understand what you were thinking, charging in without any preparation! What if you had died? We only had one shot at this!"


    "But we seeded, didn''t we? Besides, in such desperate ventures, it''s all about the moment''s courage. What use is more preparation when you only have one chance? Whether it''s a 5% chance or a 95% chance, what difference does it make in a situation like this?"


    Dead or alive, you only know once you try.


    "Alright, alright, you survived, so you have a point," N waved her hand, unwilling to argue with Howard.


    The recent appearance of Two had left herpletely drained.


    Facing a non-human entity, even knowing some of its habits, N still couldn''t guarantee her own safety.


    Like when it "consumed" those people''s bodies, N was affected too.


    Though in the end, Two intervened to save her, the danger itself hadn''t disappeared.


    "The n did go smoothly. The guy hiding inside you took care of everyone. We can now walk out of here without any hindrance."


    N walked up to the iron door, cing her hand on it.


    With a muffled sound, mana infiltrated the door, easilypromising its structure.


    With a loud crash, the heavy door fell to the ground.


    Outside, not a soul was in sight, just two long spears lying on the ground.


    N took the lead, stepping outside first, with Howard following close behind.


    They exchanged nces before continuing on.


    Not a soul was in sight; the corridor maintained an eerie, deathlike silence.


    This quiet persisted all the way to the vicinity of the hall, where they stopped at the corridor''s exit.


    The hally ahead, yet still, no sound was heard.


    Throughout their walk, they encountered only scattered weapons on the ground, without any signs of living activity.


    "It seems that entity cleaned up quite thoroughly. Well, it almost cleared me out as well," N remarked, ncing back at Howard and signaling with her eyes before stepping out of the corridor ahead of him.


    No battle ensued.


    Howard followed, stepping into an empty hall.


    Only a long table remained, with small carts neatly parked to one side.


    The materials on the table were undisturbed, with tools scattered across the table and floor.


    The scene felt unsettling, prompting Howard to shift his neck ufortably.


    "This... How did that entity aplish this?"


    "I don''t know," N shook her head.


    "I never left that room with it. First, it drained the mana from the entire underground stronghold, then it ''consumed'' all the bodies."


    "Consumed..."


    Howard''splexion turned grim.


    Regardless of who it is, hearing about someone using their own body to consume people is unsettling.


    Given Two''s description, Howard might not even be human.


    "Of course, not directly with its mouth," N added with a shrug.


    She herself had been quite disturbed by the ordeal, and Howard seemed even more troubled now than she had been.


    She had at least witnessed some of the facts, but Howard''s imagination might be concocting something even more grotesque.


    "It converted all the bodies into mana, absorbing them directly."


    "Just like a spider."


    "Wrapping its caught prey with silk, then dissolving them with digestive fluids before sucking them dry with a straw-like mouth."


    N exined before Howard could ask, even though the details sounded slightly different from what he knew.


    But the gist was clear to him.


    Two had dissolved "everyone''s" bodies, including their personal belongings.


    This "dissolution" clearly targeted the matter itself, irrelevant of whether the object was a living being.


    In doing so, Two replenished the energy it needed, while also annihting all the Eternal me cultists in the underground stronghold.


    A feat of greatness, no matter how one looks at it.


    "Let''s head up. If all that mana was absorbed by Two, the monster tide should have already dispersed," Howard reminded N.


    "Even though you didn''t exert yourself in front of everyone, I walked back in blood-soaked clothes. The Rodel branch guild owes me more than a little."


    "Money, money, money, is that all you think about?" N shot Howard a nce, surveying the empty hall.


    "But there really isn''t anything left to explore here, and detailed inspection and cleanup aren''t my job."


    "Let''s return to the surface."


    As she finished speaking, N took out a pouch of silver powder, beginning to prepare a spell.


    Seeing N intent on casting a teleportation spell again, Howard''s expression soured: "Do we have to use a teleportation spell? Isn''t there another way up?"


    "Another way?" N nced at Howard, then continued to draw on the ground.


    This time, she opted not to use elf runes to prepare the matrix but instead decided to meticulously craft one.


    While employing the elfnguage is more efficient, it also demands a significant consumption of mana.


    Given the absence of immediate danger and no rush to reach the surface, she preferred to invest more time in preparing a self-sustaining matrix that could be utilizedter.


    "Do you really think the Eternal me cult would leave an easily exposed entrance or exit?" N spoke without looking up.


    "I still haven''t figured out the exact location of this underground stronghold, but it likely isn''t outside Rodel City, considering all the teleportation circles set up by the Eternal me are for short distances."


    "If they dared to create a direct entrance, do you believe it wouldn''t be discovered by someone leading the city guards here the very next day to ''check the water meter''?"


    Preparing the teleportation matrix didn''t take much time.


    Although it wasn''t a simple matrix, it certainly wasn''t a challenge for N.


    Talking while sketching the shape of runes with silver powder, she easilypleted the matrix, then infused it with mana, solidifying the entire structure into a cohesive whole.


    "Done," N stood up, dusting off her hands.


    "It''s ready for use, just input mana. I''ve set the destination to my room in the inn. Who''s going first, you or me?"


    Howard eyed the matrix, which emitted a soft glow, its light pulsating like breathing.


    With a determined step forward, he made his choice.


    Better to face a short pain than a long one.


    "I''ll go first."


    "You better not throw up in my room! If that happens, you''re cleaning the entire room as punishment!"


    Under N''s skeptical gaze, Howard stood within the matrix, his facial muscles taut, his eyes filled with intense tension.


    Despite never fearing a deadly battle against more advanced magi or spellbeasts, Howard felt a profound fear before this simple level 2 spell matrix.


    "Activate!" N called out, with a wave of her hand, a stream of mana was injected into the matrix.


    Through the transformation and processing of various runes, it became a force capable of tearing through space, erupting forth.


    A brilliant white light shielded Howard''s view, followed by that familiar sensation of the world spinning around him.


    ...


    Time rewinds to a bit earlier, just after Two had awakened.


    With a single stroke, Povet sliced through the neck of a green wolf, stepping forward in a lunge, his body following the sword''s motion, and with a reverse grip, thrust the de into another green wolf.


    A double kill in one move, an action that would typically earn countless cheers under normal circumstances, but on this battlefield where life and death were the only concerns, no one had the spare energy to notice others.


    Surviving was all that mattered.


    Catching his breath, Povet scanned the battlefield, slowly adjusting his position, moving towards what appeared to be an even more dangerous area.