“You kid from the Ardenne district, and yet you can’t stand the smell of the sewers? Seems you’re not as poor as I thought. Whether it’s the City of Hymns or Antifleur, there are always plenty of truly destitute people in the sewers, people who don’t even have a rundown shack to live in.” Corey Allen, who entered the secret passage ahead of Logan Bennett, said sarcastically. He had black hair, and his features were different from Gary Miller and Benjamin Wright, with high cheekbones and thin cheeks.

Before Logan Bennett could reply, Gary Miller, who followed in, said directly, “Quiet.”

Corey Allen shrugged and closed his mouth, advancing a few steps in the man-high passage, then leaping out into the sprawling sewer network.

Logan Bennett followed and jumped out as well, landing on something wet and slippery—he had no idea what it was.

These things were everywhere, and the surrounding walls were covered in strange moss that emitted a faint glow, keeping the entire sewer from being plunged into total darkness.

Gary Miller lowered his voice: “I, Hudson Grant, and Corey Allen are all high-ranking knight squires. When you use the holy emblem, make sure to coordinate. If we encounter danger, summon the ‘Sword of Radiance’ immediately.” He wore a golden beard, but his every move was steady and reassuring. Among the four guards, he subtly took the lead.

After speaking, Gary Miller gripped his longsword in his right hand, held a small round shield in his left, and signaled to Hudson Grant, Corey Allen, and Logan Bennett as they searched for the source of the ghostly wailing.

Clueless, Logan Bennett followed along, half laughing, half crying: “How am I supposed to know what kind of strength a high-ranking knight squire should have?” But he didn’t dare ask Gary Miller and the others directly.

The mournful, desolate cries echoed even more intensely in the narrow confines of the sewer, seeming to come from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint their source.

However, thanks to their special training, the guards like Gary Miller, and the decent mental fortitude of Logan Bennett himself, under the blessing spell, they easily distinguished the direction.

This stretch of sewer was so quiet it was terrifying; not a single one of the destitute people Corey Allen mentioned could be seen.

After passing several junctions, Logan Bennett and the others stopped at an unremarkable corner of the sewer.

Gary Miller looked at the wall covered in bluish moss and said to Logan Bennett calmly and seriously, “Summon the ‘Sword of Radiance.’”

Logan Bennett, both fearful and eager to try, calmed himself with the help of the blessing spell, focused his mind on the holy emblem, and felt that warm, gentle power. Then, holding the holy emblem hanging from his neck in his left hand, he rhythmically rubbed the white cross at its center, and as he did so, he recited a strangely intoned incantation:

“Chiseon.”

Logan Bennett felt his mind, focused on the holy emblem, being bathed in waves of white light. A speck of white light appeared before his eyes, gathering together and forming a shining sword of light.

“Is that my voice?” The sound of casting the divine spell, along with the strange, guttural tone, under the effect of the divine power, sounded deep and hoarse, mysterious and eerie, even startling Logan Bennett himself.

Gripping the sword of light and feeling its extraordinary power, Logan Bennett couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. But Gary Miller’s words immediately brought him back to his senses: “Strike the wall there. With the power of the Sword of Radiance, any magical trap will be dispelled. It’s just a mere magic apprentice.”

Looking at the spot Gary Miller indicated, Logan Bennett trembled slightly. What he was about to face was mysterious and powerful magic. What would appear? What dangers awaited? All of it was unknown.

“Cowardly and ignorant fool,” Corey Allen sneered.

Logan Bennett understood he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go forward. He took two deep breaths, the horrible stench slowly calming him down, and inwardly he shouted, “It’s just death, that’s all!”

With his right hand gripping the Sword of Radiance, he slashed hard at the slimy, disgusting wall.

A flash of white light, and the stone was like soft clay, unable to resist.

As Logan Bennett cut through it, it felt as if he had also sliced through something strange. A vague sense of something shattering came over him, and wisps of black gas rapidly vanished beneath the blade of the Sword of Radiance.

The entire wall collapsed completely.

Behind the wall was deep darkness.

Suddenly, two eerie, cold, and ferocious red points lit up in the darkness.

More and more of these red points appeared, densely packed, filling the entire darkness.

Logan Bennett’s mouth went dry, his nerves stretched taut, his palms sweating. These seemed to be pairs of eyes!

Chapter Five: Mutation

Faced with such a bizarre and terrifying scene, Logan Bennett truly felt his limbs trembling and his mind swelling, his thoughts about what to do and what not to do tangled into a mess. On the surface, it meant Logan Bennett was so frightened he stood frozen, completely unresponsive.

“The holy emblem, wait, I still have the Emblem of Truth!”

In his panic, Logan Bennett remembered his greatest reliance. Instinctively, he focused his mind, wanting to recite the incantation and activate the first-circle divine spell “Shield of Holy Light.” No matter what, protecting himself was the most important thing.