Free Web NovelChapter 50: Chapter 50: Crossing Into the S-Level Zone
Han Soi stood at the edge of the portal with his men behind him.
The portal floated in midair like a torn piece of space itself. Its surface folded endlessly, glowing with a dull bluish-purple light. This was the entrance...once they stepped through, there would be no turning back.
This was an S-level polluted zone.
Han Soi narrowed his eyes as he prepared to enter, but just then, his gaze shifted.
Someone familiar stood not far away. His brother, Han Ruyan.
The moment Han Soi saw him, his expression darkened. Han Ruyan stood perfectly fine; it seems he had healed himself in a very expensive healing pod.
Yet despite the good beating from him, Han Ruyan was smiling. A mocking snicker escaped his lips when their eyes met.
"So you came too," his brother said softly, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.
Han Soi said nothing.
Han Ruyan’s eyes flickered briefly toward Han Soi’s chest...toward the pocket.
Inside that pocket, Yue Yue stiffened.
She had made two tiny holes in the upper part of Han Soi’s suit earlier. From inside the pocket, she could peek out without exposing herself. The moment her eyes met Han Ruyan’s through those small holes, a sharp chill ran through her body. Fear gripped her.
Han Soi felt it immediately. His blood boiled. Someone dared to scare her.
His fingers clenched slowly into a fist. One day, he would personally peel a layer of skin off this brother of his. Slowly and painfully.
Han Ruyan seemed to sense the killing intent. He laughed quietly, then turned and ran forward with his men, disappearing into another portal ahead of them.
"Tch," Tong Yu muttered from behind. "That guy is getting more annoying."
Ke Hong’s expression was serious. "We shouldn’t waste time."
Han Soi nodded.
"There are three of us going in," he said calmly. "Stay alert. This zone hasn’t been fully analyzed."
Tong Yu and Ke Hong were both S-ranked, and he was SSS-ranked. The trio stepped forward together.
The moment Han Soi entered the portal, Yue Yue felt a violent pull.
The world twisted.
Her vision spun wildly, and a sharp dizziness rushed through her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, curling deeper inside the pocket as the pressure crushed around her.
Then...silence. The pressure vanished.
When Yue Yue carefully opened her eyes again and peeked through the small holes, she froze.
They had arrived. This place was completely different.
The sky above was a strange gray-green color, as if layers of toxic fog were pressed together. Dim light filtered through thick clouds, casting an eerie glow over the land.
This area looked like a forest, but not a normal one.
The soil beneath their feet was cracked and dry, emitting faint wisps of black mist.
"This place..." Tong Yu murmured. "It’s close to civilization, isn’t it?"
Ke Hong nodded. "Yes. This should have been a vacant buffer zone. Without any buildings or development."
Han Soi scanned the surroundings carefully.
Once, this land had been barren but safe. Toxic, yes...but stable. No one had ever settled here, but patrols used to pass through.
Now, an S-level polluted zone had appeared out of nowhere.
As they moved forward, strange sounds echoed around them. The ground trembled faintly beneath their steps, as if something massive was moving underground.
Yue Yue shrank deeper into the pocket.
They had barely taken a few steps forward when the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled.
At first, it was faint.
Then it becomes stronger.
Han Soi stopped instantly. His eyes narrowed as his senses spread outward. Something was wrong. The soil ahead began to bulge, rising unnaturally as if something huge was pushing upward from below.
"Get ready," Han Soi said calmly.
Before Tong Yu or Ke Hong could respond, the ground exploded.
Boom—!
Massive shapes burst out from the soil, spraying toxic dust and broken earth into the air. The forest shook violently as enormous worms surged out from beneath the ground.
They were huge and far larger than any groundworm recorded in previous data.
Their bodies were thick and long, covered in hard, blackened scales that glistened with polluted energy. Some of them were as thick as tree trunks, their mouths split open to reveal layers of sharp, rotating teeth.
One after another. Dozens of them appear.
They pushed out from every direction, surrounding the trio completely.
The worms lifted their heads high, swaying slowly as they locked onto their prey. Their eyes glowed a dull red as they sniffed the air greedily.
Blood.
The smell of non-polluted blood was intoxicating to them.
For polluted beasts, especially evolved ones, clean blood was like the sweetest drug. It drove them mad. It made them hungry.
Inside Han Soi’s pocket, Yue Yue froze.
"They evolved too fast," Tong Yu said grimly. "Ground worms shouldn’t reach this size in such a short time."
Ke Hong gripped his weapon. "And these are already A-level polluted beasts."
Han Soi’s eyes darkened. This was just the outer area.
If A-level beasts were already swarming here... then what kind of monsters waited deeper inside the zone? fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
There was no time to think further.
The worms attacked.
Several of them lunged forward at the same time, their massive bodies crashing through trees as their mouths opened wide, aiming straight for the trio.
Han Soi moved instantly.
With a sharp move, he pulled out his sword.
The blade shimmered the moment it was exposed to the polluted air. It was his most precious artifact. Strange symbols flickered across the blade as energy surged through it.
Han Soi didn’t transform. Beastmen only entered their beast form when the situation became truly desperate. For now, artifacts were enough.
He stepped forward calmly.
Slash—!
A single clean strike.
The sword cut through the head of the nearest worm like paper. Black polluted blood sprayed into the air as the massive body collapsed with a deafening thud.
Tong Yu moved at the same time.
He pulled out his own artifact...a long spear glowing with blue energy. With a powerful thrust, he pierced straight through a worm’s open mouth, the energy exploding inside its body and tearing it apart from within.
Ke Hong was no slower.
His artifact was a pair of curved blades. He spun forward, his movements sharp and precise, slicing through the bodies of two worms as he passed.
But the worms kept coming.
"They’re endless," Tong Yu shouted.
Han Soi’s expression remained cold.
"Clear a path," he ordered. "Don’t let them close in."
Inside the pocket, Yue Yue held her breath.
She could hear everything, and the scene was far too disgusting for her eyes. She wanted to vomit but held herself, not wanting to trouble Han Soi at all. After all, it was her decision to come here.
Another worm lunged straight toward Han Soi’s chest.
Before it could reach him, Ke Hong intercepted, slashing upward and tearing its body in half.
"Outer area only," Ke Hong said through clenched teeth. "And this many A-level beasts."
Tong Yu grimaced. "This zone is insane; if the outer area has this many A-level polluted beasts, then what about the inner zone?"
Han Soi wiped the blade clean with a flick of his wrist.
As the last worm fell, the ground slowly stopped shaking. The forest fell into an eerie silence once more.
