2025-01-10 01:30:38Elsewhere.
Closing his eyes, Marc focused all his attention on his ears. “It’s here,” he murmured.
He could hear faint movements on the ground, drawing closer to him. But suddenly—
“Aaargh!”
A scream from the direction of the house shattered his concentration.
“Damn it! Who opened the door from the inside?”
Marc’s eyes snapped open. Without sparing a glance at Jonas, who was sprawled on the ground snoring, he leaped swiftly over the backyard fence in a single bound.
“Get away from here!”
At the front door, Newell stood pale-faced and trembling, frantically swinging a club in his hand at a small goblin inching closer to his unconscious wife.
There’s nothing goblins love more than blood. That was why Marc had lured the creature by placing blood near the doors and windows. Once the goblins had their fill, they wouldn’t bother the mayor’s family.
“And besides, you don’t have to worry,” Marc had reassured Newell earlier that evening, patting his shoulder. “They’ll get caught the moment they try to enter the house.”
Unlike the technique he used on his apartment door, Marc had set traps on the doors and windows of this house. The moment one of these creatures touched the door handle, it would become stuck, as if bound by unbreakable glue.
“Get away! Don’t hurt my wife!”
Ignoring the mayor’s desperate yells, the little creature opened its mouth wide, creeping closer to Cynthia. Its crimson eyes gleamed wickedly, and its face twisted with delight.
Bang!
Before the goblin’s sharp teeth could reach the mayor’s wife’s neck, a powerful kick struck its side. The small body flew several meters, crashing into a large flower pot and shattering it.
“Damn goblin!”
“M-Mr. Belmont…”
“Mr. Brown, didn’t I tell you not to open the door? Now get your wife inside and don’t open it again, understood?”
Marc’s face showed a hint of irritation. If he had arrived just a second later, who knows what might have happened to the woman.
Without waiting for the mayor’s response, he darted off to pursue the goblin.
“I’m… I’m so sorry,” Newell muttered regretfully. Nevertheless, he quickly did as Marc instructed and shut the door. This time, he swore he wouldn’t let anyone open it again.
The goblin, now limping from Marc’s kick, darted away with surprising speed. Marc chased after it, sprinting across an open field and into the forest.
“Where do you think you’re going, you vile creature?” Marc thought. He deliberately followed without catching it immediately. A goblin like this wouldn’t act on its own. “I need to find out who’s behind this.”
***
“You fool! How dare you return empty-handed!”
The sharp voice of a man in traditional Taoist robes echoed through the clearing. His face contorted in fury as he glared at the trembling goblin before him.
The man raised his hand, ready to strike the creature, but his gaze shifted to a figure emerging from the trees.
“You’re the one who sent it to attack humans,” Marc said coldly. “Your actions are despicable and unforgivable.”
“That’s none of your business,” the robed man sneered. “No one tells me what I can or can’t do.”
His initial surprise at seeing Marc quickly faded, replaced by a sly grin. “Since you’ve interfered with my work, you won’t leave here alive.”
“Hah. And what could a man with no legs possibly do?” Marc taunted, deliberately provoking him. In the dim light, Marc could see that the man’s legs were missing.
“You insolent brat! I’ll make sure you die tonight!”
The man raised his hand. Thin, sharp objects shot toward Marc with a piercing whistle. Moving lightly, Marc dodged left and right before catching one mid-air.
“Poisoned throwing stars?” Marc examined the weapon, recalling his master’s warnings about a sect known for their cruel assassination methods.
“They must not be allowed to survive,” he muttered.
Zinc, zinc!
Dozens more stars whizzed through the air, closing in from all directions. The robed man smirked, confident his attack was inescapable.
But a meter before the stars could strike Marc, a loud clang rang out. The weapons collided with an invisible barrier and clattered to the ground.
“What?” The robed man’s eyes widened. “How did you do that?”
In the world of cultivation, only those who had achieved an exceptionally high level of zhenqi could create an invisible shield. Yet this young man looked far too ordinary to possess such power.
Marc smirked faintly. “Using toys like these to attack me? How amusing.”
In the blink of an eye, Marc stood two meters in front of the man. “Tell me, where did you get that goblin?” he demanded, his voice menacing.
The man’s heart raced at Marc’s speed, but years of experience had hardened his resolve. Despite the pressure, he managed to compose himself.
“Fine, I’ll tell you,” the man said, a cunning smile spreading across his face. Suddenly, he spun around, arms outstretched. “Die, you bastard!”
Hundreds of stars shot out from his robe toward Marc. The fact that the man could launch them with such speed indicated he, too, had cultivated zhenqi, though not as strongly as Marc.
“No matter how strong your zhenqi is, at this range, it won’t save you!”
But his confidence crumbled as his expression turned to one of sheer panic. “No! That… that’s impossible!”
Marc hadn’t moved an inch. Yet, just like before, the stars hung motionless in the air, spinning around him as if caught in an invisible force.
“Want to play with your own weapons?” Marc asked with a sinister smile.
In a flash, the stars turned and shot back toward the man, now moving even faster. His body was pierced in multiple places, blood spilling onto the ground.
“This isn’t over…” he muttered weakly. Raising a trembling hand, he chanted a spell. From the shadows of the trees, dozens of small goblins appeared, their red eyes burning with hatred as they stared at Marc.
“Attack him, all of you!”
The goblins charged toward Marc. But before they could get close, Marc struck with powerful punches and kicks.
Bang, bang, bang!
The creatures’ bodies flew through the air, blood spurting from their mouths. Within seconds, dozens of lifeless goblins lay scattered across the forest floor.
“Don’t celebrate just yet…” The robed man’s pale face grew even weaker. Rage burned in his eyes as he watched his precious creatures fall so easily.
“My brothers won’t stay silent. They’ll come for you.”
Marc turned his back without a word, ignoring the dying man’s threats. A victorious smile played on his lips. “I’ll be waiting for them.”
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