The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 51 - 40: Sewers

Chapter 51: Chapter 40: Sewers

Rod’s Eye of the Soul played a huge role, allowing him to see through the Black Fog and detect the subtlest changes in the distance, always being the first to discover the newly formed dust.

This skill only now revealed its full capabilities; it had to be used under the conditions of Spiritual Vision, not only allowing Rod to see through the Mist but also to see the veins of the Spirit, the ripples of Energy, and the disturbances in Space.

Darkness was no longer an obstacle to vision, the Black Fog became a black backdrop, part of some greater existence.

And through this black backdrop, he could see something deeper flowing, gathering, being born, forming shadows that fell like dust.

That was the monsters.

The entire patrol block was within his range of vision; he could even see beyond the block, spotting other patrolling Combatants and the Guardians assisting them.

Thanks to Rod’s abilities, this area also became the only patrol area that did not seek help from the Guardians.

—They always managed to arrive first and exterminate these dust-like monsters at their inception.

This time was no exception.

"Let’s go!"

Although Reslin was very tired, he showed no signs of fatigue.

For a Combatant, the mission was a military order, admitting no discount whatsoever.

In patrolling, he could chat, gossip, and joke around, but when monsters appeared, he had to fight.

The trio ran to the location indicated by Rod. Since Rod had not undergone professional training, his speed was much slower than theirs, so Karamon and he lagged behind while the two with cleaning capabilities proceeded first.

By the time they arrived, the monsters had already been cleared.

However, the holes in the fog layer above still existed, the black fog falling like waterfalls, and the Spirit Lamps on their waists could only illuminate the space around them.

"There’s some kind of Corrosive Material attracting it."

Reslin said with a serious expression.

"If not dealt with, it will lead to a great disaster."

Egger asked, "Rod, can you find the source?"

Rod hesitated a moment. He could see many things, but most of them he could not understand what they were or represented.

"What is Corrosive Material?"

"Substance highly corrupted by the Black Fog, usually some kind of material rich in Spirituality. Due to its high pollution potential, it attracts Black Fog or any presence with Dark Power to gather around it."

"Material rich in Spirituality... What are its characteristics?"

"It has very good conductivity for Spiritual Energy, can resonate with Spiritual Power to enhance or modify it. Moreover, when Spirituality transforms, it produces a strong distortion phenomenon, and once completely corrupted, it will turn into black Corrosive Material, a breeding ground for infection."

Rod looked around but did not see the phenomenon he described, instead noticing black gaseous veins penetrating the ground.

Although his Spiritual Vision was unparalleled, physical materials still had a certain obstructing effect, weakening the disturbances or phenomena he could see.

Especially the earth, which almost completely blocked his Spiritual Vision.

"It must be underground." Rod said, "I see the Black Fog flowing underground."

Reslin immediately understood, "In the sewer, the Corrosive Material is in the sewer."

Rod felt somewhat uneasy; according to what they said yesterday, there seemed to be many unidentified threats in the Royal City Sewer, and he had no combat power at all. If he went down only to face a disaster, it would be better to remain on the ground and kill some minor demons.

"Let’s call for support."

Unexpectedly, the three Reslin agreed immediately, "Call the Guardian, even though it’s just the superficial layer of the sewer, it still poses some danger."

Rod felt somewhat relieved and fumbled for the signal flare.

It resembled a lump of dung mixed with grass, its surface studded with many movable small pieces.

Following Reslin’s instructions, Rod manipulated the pieces a bit before pulling the iron ring at the tail.

The signal flare shone brightly with an orange-red light and whooshed into the sky, piercing the black fog with a long trail behind it.

Accompanied by a loud bang, it burst into a red light that even the Black Fog couldn’t obscure.

After waiting a moment, a ball of yellow light rose in the northeast direction, blooming a changing yellow pattern in the black fog.

Reslin observed for a moment and said, "The Guardian tells us to proceed first, he has already notified the Defense Department, and they will arrive shortly."

Rod was somewhat nervous; he had no combat capabilities at all. The experience of being killed instantly by invading monsters in the Dream Realm was still vivid in his mind. In the cramped environment of the sewer, if attacked by a monster, he was sure to be done for on the spot.

Reslin saw his inner unease and patted his shoulder with a smile.

"Don’t worry, we are veterans. There’s generally no serious danger in the superficial layer of the sewer, and we’ve done its cleaning more than once."

Egger laughed, "The greatest danger is the small holes on the wall, just don’t be an idiot like Karamon and poke your face to look into them."

Both laughed.

Only Karamon’s face turned red, he retorted strongly, "I clearly saw a huge tentacle drilling in there! What’s wrong with taking a look?"

"Sure sure, after that for a week, no one dared to come within ten meters of you."

While teasing Karamon, Reslin carefully checked the lanterns on everyone, taking out a box of reddish-brown powder from his chest to add to the lamps, the light inside visibly brightened.

"Minghe Workshop produced sub-grade Fuel Element, very good quality, it has anti-corrosion, anti-pollution, anti-theft, and enhances the natural immunity of the human body."

Karamon sneered, "You believe too much in those boastful words."

Reslin smiled and handed each one a glowing red stone, "Red Tear Stone, wearing it on the body can resist the erosion of the Black Fog to some extent, just in case."

Rod accepted the stone, imitated the others by attaching it to his chest, and looked up to see a faint red light radiating from everyone.

In the end, Reslin checked the equipment and weapons on him once more, took out a bottle and took a big swig; his spirits immediately improved, the other two following suit, and Rod saw their Spiritual Energy brighten considerably.

"Let’s set off."

He waved his hand and took the lead to the place Rod had pointed out, lifted the manhole cover, and jumped down.

Egger and Karamon followed suit, and Rod had no choice but to follow.

Although there was slight unease in his heart, Rod knew that the Eye of the Soul could scout for danger in advance, and the surface of the sewer should not pose a great threat. Otherwise, the residents above would be the first to suffer.

Moreover, the message had been sent out, and the Guardians would soon be coming to support them.

There shouldn’t be any problems; perhaps they could even seize this opportunity to capture some strong souls.

With his mind made up, Rod also jumped into the dark entrance.

Clatter, clatter, clatter.

The four men landed in succession, their light illuminating the dim space.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t as filthy and contaminated as Rod had imagined. Instead, it was quite dry, filled with dust, and the air bore a musty odor, as if it had not been visited for a long time.

The space wasn’t as spacious as he had imagined, roughly the height of a person and a half and the width of two people. The walls around were full of signs of manual excavation, with many forks in the pitch-black distance.

"This is a section of the sewer constructed later, and it looks like it has been abandoned for a long time."

Reslin said thoughtfully.

"Rod, can you see the direction of the Black Fog’s flow?"

In their eyes, the Black Fog and darkness were almost indistinguishable, pervading everywhere, and when approached, it would be dispelled by the Spirit Lamp, making it impossible to see the direction.

Rod looked around and pointed towards the northwest.

Reslin nodded, "Good, we will now proceed in a four-man squad combat mode. I’ll take the front position, Egger, you stand at the control position, Rod, you take the rear position for scouting but before Karamon. Karamon, you are the rear support, also responsible for defense, to protect Rod. Any questions?"

Egger and Karamon answered in unison, "No."

Rod felt a little nervous, "I don’t quite understand, it’s my first time..."

Egger laughed and patted his shoulder, but couldn’t reach, so he patted his back instead.

"No worries, with me as the central controller here, you won’t have any problems."

Karamon scoffed, "Yeah right, last time a Ghost Spirit stuck to my face, and you were still blowing bubbles there."

Egger retorted angrily, "My Spiritual Vision is low, I just didn’t see it momentarily."

Karamon curled his lip, "Stone Wood Core."

"As if your Spiritual Vision is so high, aren’t you a Stone Wood Core too?"

"Enough!" Reslin stopped their bickering, "We don’t have anyone with high Spiritual Vision in our team. Rod perfectly complements our shortcomings. We’re now a complete team. The failure at Ghost Spirit Lake won’t happen again, let’s move out."

The words cheered both of them up, and the four of them immediately set out in the direction Rod had indicated.

Reslin led the way at the front, Egger in the middle, Karamon at the back.

About every twenty steps, Karamon would drop a glowing stone as a mark.

This method ensured they wouldn’t get lost and also guided the direction for the supporting forces behind them.

Rod activated his Spiritual Vision and the Eye of the Soul, cautiously observing the surroundings and guiding the team’s direction.

The sewer was empty and eerily quiet. His Spiritual Vision couldn’t penetrate these thick walls, nor see the ground or beneath it.

This stirred unease in Rod, but when he turned to see the shining stones laid out on the ground, stretching all the way back to the sewer entrance, he felt reassured.

After passing two forks, the space suddenly opened up significantly.

The ceiling rose to the height of at least two stories, and the width could accommodate five carriages side by side; the air became humid, and an indescribable stench hit them.

The direction of the sewer had taken a sideways turn, and there were many circular holes on both sides, similar in size to the tunnel they were in.

Rod immediately realized that they had arrived at the main artery.

Turning his head, he immediately saw a huge shadow in the distance. It was about three meters tall, with a massive body and tiny limbs. Its body flowed with a dark energy that seemed to melt, barely revealing any Spirit veins. The operation of its Spiritual Energy was thick like tar, covering its entire body, and its soul waveform was gentle with slight fluctuations.

In an instant, Rod remembered the words of the old blind Mo’er: only monsters possessed black souls.

And its soul waveform, wasn’t it the ungraded monster mentioned in class?

He immediately shouted, "To the left! To the left! An ungraded monster!"

Reslin’s shadow flickered, his Spiritual Energy bursting into activity. He immediately shifted to the left and asked solemnly, "Distance? Type? Rank? Can you see any characteristics?"

Rod choked up, overwhelmed by the questions.

Karamon had explained some of these things to him, but his explanations were too detailed, and who could remember all that at once?

Fortunately, he was quick to respond and answered one of the questions, "About less than a hundred meters!"

Egger frowned, "What hundred meters? How many steps, how many yards?"

Rod choked again, but luckily, in times of crisis, his mind worked incredibly fast and was very clear, he immediately shouted, "Three hundred steps!"

Karamon whispered harshly, "Don’t shout so loud, you’ll startle it!"

"Too late!"

A roaring sound came from afar. The shadow charged towards them at an incredibly fast pace, its tiny short legs comically bearing its enormous body. Each step it took made a loud booming sound, shaking the ground. Black mud fell from the top of the sewer like a black rain.

Boom!

Before Rod could react, Reslin had already collided with it.

A white blur flashed before his eyes, a thick cloud of white smoke raced past him towards the shadow, while another cloud enveloped him and moved him to the back.