activa-t Chapter 118 Mana Core
Chapter 118 Mana Core
The Fox Squad works together seamlessly, with each member clearly understanding their role and responsibilities.
The Black family's vault is enormous, with rows of display cases, shelves, and secure containers holding priceless artifacts, relics, and treasures.
A scanned the room, the eyes behind the mask analyzing the layout to determine where they should begin their search.
Since they didn't know the exact location of that "thing," they had to act quickly.
He whispered commands through the communication device in his headset to ensure efficient coverage of the maximum area.
"B, go to the East District. C, go to the West District. D, take charge of the Central Area. I'll go directly to the safes at the back," A calmly gave the instructions.
The squad split up and began inspecting the various items in the vault. From enchanted weapons to rare spellbooks to exquisitely crafted magical trinkets, there was something for everyone. Each item was extremely valuable and powerful, but they hadn't come for these things.
'That's my purpose.'
As I pondered this, I moved slowly through the shadows.
'As expected, they didn't send their strongest members.'
My eyes observed their every move, capturing the details that revealed their strength.
My [Insightful Perception] ability is kicking in. These members are incredibly fast and precise when analyzing items, constantly searching. But their posture and the weapons they carry suggest they aren't particularly powerful.
They don't focus on fighting, but make a living by stealing; they are professionals at stealing artifacts from vaults.
Those members who are primarily focused on combat may be concentrating their efforts on creating chaos in the banquet hall to make the operation appear as a terrorist attack, when it is not actually such.
Later, the news of Caesar's kidnapping will be revealed, but that has nothing to do with me.
'It's time to act.'
I've been tracking them ever since they appeared through the portal, and that's how I found the vault's location.
I moved in the shadows from the beginning, trying to hide myself as much as possible.
What they are looking for, once exposed, will shake up social chaos and the moral standards of high-ranking families.
The Mana Core Project.
Simply put, this is a plan to use the human body as an energy source.
Inhumane acts committed in the pursuit of power. But this is not surprising; which superpower in the world doesn't harbor ambitions for power and power?
The desire to unify the world—isn't that precisely why we humans wage war against each other?
Therefore, those who are powerful, those who can change history, do not use the moral standards of ordinary people.
This applies not only to ambitious people, but also to demons.
That's one of the reasons I'm here.
'I will never let it fall into the hands of the devil.'
This is his first appearance in the game, albeit in a subtle way.
As one of the highest-ranking and most dangerous villains, he had a profound impact on the game's story, even though he appeared in a subtle way.
Once the incomplete Mana Core and all research materials are stolen, the demon will gain access to one of the most dangerous weapons in the game's future.
The Black family's research was temporarily halted due to a lack of talent in this area, but the demons were not lacking in this; they had a mad scientist on their side.
It was because of this scientist's existence that the research was completed, and it will ultimately bring about enormous destruction.
"A, I think I've found it."
Just as I was pondering these things, I heard a whisper in my ear, and my gaze locked onto the man in black in front of me.
He pointed to a peculiar display case, a slight smile appearing behind his mask. The case was exquisitely designed, seemingly identical to the others in the vault. His hands moved swiftly to operate it.
click!
A few seconds later, the shelf began to rise slowly, revealing a hidden corridor.
"This is it."
The group leader, A, immediately went to the location they had discovered.
This is it.
The energy emanating from the corridor was so immense that I could even feel a stinging sensation on my skin.
'It seems the time we've been waiting for has come.'
With this thought in mind, I slowly reached for the gun stored in the bracelet, while simultaneously hanging the dagger on my waist.
Thanks to the bracelet's unique property of being undetectable, I can carry any weapon I need, along with a jammer to block external signals.
This is the most crucial part of the plan.
"Let's go."
Leader A signaled to the other team members to continue forward, and this action became the signal for my actions.
The Eye of Time
I activated my skill, [Eye of Time], and time around me began to slow down, making me feel the world become more sluggish. In this silent moment, I assessed the situation.
'It's time to take action.'
I locked onto one of the weaker intruders, the one who discovered the hidden corridor. They were momentarily distracted, and I seized the perfect opportunity. Taking a deep breath, I aimed my silenced gun at the target, steadied it, channeled my magic into it, and fired.
call out!
A silenced gunshot echoed through the vault.
However, I did not hesitate to fire a second shot.
call out!
My body was also moving slowly, but thanks to my skills, I could process all the information around me quickly.
puff!
When I deactivated the skill and time returned to normal, the sound of blood splattering rang out, followed by a muffled thud.
"Uh……"
The weaker intruder fell, a bullet hole in his chest. A gritted his teeth, feeling the wound on his shoulder.
The bullet hit the target but did not cause fatal damage, indicating that A is a high-level Awakened.
'I knew it would turn out like this.'
As the leader of the vault-robbing team, ordinary bullets, even when infused with magic, cannot kill him directly.
Whoosh!
Before A could react, I acted swiftly and drew my dagger.
I closed the distance to him with astonishing speed. A turned to face him, his surprise barely concealed beneath his mask.
The Eye of Time
Time slowed down again, and my skills allowed me to see A's weaknesses.
With the skill's effect and my unparalleled speed, I swiftly aimed at a vital point, preparing for a fatal blow.
All of this lasted only a second, and my mana was consumed at a very high level.
“D,” A whispered into the headset, as my dagger lunged at him.
Clang!
In that instant, he swiftly raised his sword, precisely blocking my attack. His training and experience were evident as he skillfully defused my offensive.
He's much more professional than the other three.
Although his strength wasn't particularly great, the way he parried my attacks showed that he was at least at the level of an academy student, which posed a considerable threat to me.
Whoosh!
But I still have the upper hand.
He's injured.
Taking advantage of this, I moved more smoothly and decisively, aiming at the spot where he revealed a weakness.
Whoosh!
A tried to remain calm, but my relentless attacks put him on the defensive.
He skillfully dodged and parried my attacks with swift and precise movements. He reacted quickly to each of my attacks, using his sword to both defend and counterattack.
Even so, his physical strength was clearly starting to give out.
Clang!
"Uh……"
As he blocked another of my attacks, he spat out blood; my attack had put immense pressure on his body.
Whoosh!
Just then, I sensed an attack coming from my side. Using my [Perception] ability, I detected the projectile.
Whoosh!
I quickly dodged the attack, which was a compressed lightning bolt.
Zizi!
It flew past my face, and the lightning bolt struck the wall.
"Tsk."
The other two have already arrived.
Crack!
'Electricity is troublesome.'
One of them is manipulating the surrounding electric elements, while the other is wrapping the sword in magic.
They're here to support A, but I'm not going to let them succeed.
I took a smoke grenade from my bracelet and quickly threw it on the ground.
puff!
The smoke grenade hissed and released thick smoke, which quickly enveloped the entire vault.
The thick smoke obscured the area, blocking their view and throwing the intruders into disarray.
"what?"
Be careful.
I can hear their voices, and my special ability allows me to see more clearly even in the smoke.
Activating my Shadow skill, I concealed my presence, moved swiftly, and picked up my gun once more.
call out!call out!call out!
Bullets pierced through the thick fog, firing continuously at the enemy. The intruders could only react instinctively, unable to make out the shooter's figure.
The silenced gunshots echoed through the vault, plunging them into panic.
"Where is he?"
Crack!
The manipulator of the electric element releases a strong current.
Whoosh!
But before he could make a move, I had already rushed in front of him and raised my gun.
puff!
It hit him in the forehead before he could react.
"He's here!"
Whoosh!
Another intruder, who had imbued his sword with magic, attempted to retaliate. But with my eyes, I had already anticipated his attack trajectory.
The smoke obscured their vision, and their strength was insufficient to deal with the situation. I easily dodged the sword strikes.
prick!
Then I plunged my dagger into his neck, and blood gushed from the wound.
boom!boom!
The invaders fell one by one, all taken down by my meticulously planned surprise attack.
But the battle was not over. A healed himself with a potion and immediately closed in on me, the sword in his hand radiating dangerous magic.
As he lunged at me, we clashed again. A's sword clashed with my dagger, unleashing a swift and deadly battle. But I knew this fight wouldn't last long.
Whoosh!
When I swung the dagger, the attack from the red-mana-covered blade made A stagger.
Clang!
He barely managed to block my attack, but that made him lose his balance even more.
boom!
"Uh!"
Blood spurted from A's mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Uh... what did you do?"
He tried to stand up, but his body was too weak.
"Don't you know?"
I approached him slowly in a calm tone, pointing the gun at his head.
"It's poison!"
"Yes."
call out!