The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 62. Explanation

Chapter 62: 62. Explanation

Leo standing in the middle of chaos, body aching even after Olyraa’s healing. He hadn’t used Elynn’s healing today, saving it for bigger fights.

The clearing stank—orc blood and burnt flesh everywhere, their huge bodies scattered in the dirt. His team—Olyraa, Varkas, Rowan, and Kareth stood nearby.

Rin stood with Velmira, violet hair messy, pink eyes shining as she bounced, still excited for smashing an orc with a boulder.

[Kill Confirmed! Great job,Reo!]

[Stats Updated!]

STRENGTH: 54 → 56

ENDURANCE: 46 → 48

DEFENSE: 44 → 46

SPEED: 53 → 57

STAMINA: 49 → 54

MANA CAPACITY: 33 → 36

INTELLIGENCE: 70

BATTLE INTELLIGENCE: 83

SOUL RESONANCE WEAPON: None


[Alert!]

[Reward Granted!]

[reward: Phantom Edge Shard—a one-use item that could summon a spectral blade to strike with double the strength, ignoring armor, no mana cost.]

[Alert!]

[Phantom Edge Shard has moved to item space!]

Leo’s eyes widened, a big grin spreading.

This looks great, he thought.

"Brother-in-law, you okay?" Velmira called, walking over with Rin, worry etched on her face. His team also approached him, looking at him like he might drop.

"Tired, but I’m fine," Leo said, voice rough, shrugging it off.

Velmira didn’t buy it. "You look awful. Hold still." She raised her hand, and a warm, golden light poured out—divine mana, like a warm blanket, fixing his cuts which Olyraa’s healing missed and reducing his pain.

He feels his energy getting back, strong and sharp.

[Stamina Replenished: 54/54]

[Mana Replenished: 36/36].

He stretched, feeling good again, and looked at the team.

They’d crowded around Rin, all excited. "Who are you, miss?" Kareth asked, eyes sparking with admiration. "That boulder thing was crazy!"

Rowan grinned wide. "Tossing that rock like it was nothing? You’re awesome!"

Rin’s face went red, hands twisting her staff, she was not used to the praise. "Uh... thanks?" she mumbled, a shy smile sneaking out.

Leo then approached her, face twisted with raw fury. His crimson eyes burning.

Rin’s bright smile crumbled, her pink eyes dropping to the ground, wide with fear.

"Why the hell are you here?" he asked, voice low, a growl that vibrated with barely-contained rage. "This place is a hell—monsters tearing people apart, bodies piling up. Students are dying, and you entered like it’s a damn picnic?"

Velmira shoved forward, planting herself between them, as she met Leo’s glare. "Brother in law, calm down," she snapped, voice sharp. "She has reason."

Rin shrank further, guilt filling her, her face pale as a ghost. She’d been nothing, mana-less, frail before stepping into this nightmare cage.

Now, under Leo’s wrath, she looked like she might break. "I’m sorry," she whimpered, voice trembling, barely a breath. "I’m... so sorry." Tears streamed down her cheeks, her hands shaking so hard her staff nearly slipped from her grip, her sobs quiet but piercing in the tense air.

Leo sighed, rubbing his nose bridge, calming a little. "Okay," he muttered, still annoyed. "Tellme. What’s this dome? Why’re you here? What’s happening outside?"

There’s silence for some moments, she struggles to speak up.

Rin wiped her eyes, voice wobbly but trying. "Professors... called it a hunting cage."

"Hunting cage?" Varkas asked, confused.

Velmira’s face got serious. "It’s an old war trapping ritual. I read about it. This sacrificial ritual locks everyone inside one zone, summons monsters and demons, over and over. They kill everyone in the place until one person, the target, is dead." Her eyes hit Leo, full of meaning. "Like a king or commander."

Leo’s crimson eyes narrowed as Rin’s trembling voice filled the tense silence. "The dome... it won’t let anyone in or out, like a cage," she said . "The staff outside, they’re working on a rift pulse to temporarily open a path."

Leo’s brow furrowed. "If it’s sealed, how’d you get in here?"

"The dome... it only rejects things that emit mana. I—I have a curse. It stops me from emitting mana." Her voice cracked, tears welling again. "A first-year girl... she convinced me to come. Said if I found Velmira inside, we could save people. I didn’t even want to enter, but... I did it, like I wasn’t thinking, like she made me do this subconsciously."

"First-year girl?" Leo’s tone hardened, suspicion flaring. "Who’s she?"

Rin shook her head, voice small. "I don’t know her name. She was with the student council. She has hair, always has this... creepy smile."

Leo’s jaw clenched. Erin. He could picture her smug face, her manipulative grin. She’d brainwashed Rin, sent her into this death trap like a pawn. His fists tightened, but he held his tongue.

Rin continued, her voice unsteady. "She told me where to go, and I found Velmira, just like she said. I... I unsealed my curse, and we made it here." She glanced at Velmira, gratitude mixing with her fear. "It’s like she knew where you all were."

Velmira nodded, her face pale. "Rin saved me. I got separated from my group, and my guide... she was killed." Her voice wavered, haunted by the memory of harpies tearing her guide apart.

"I wouldn’t have survived alone, Senior Rin killed most of the monsters and escorted me to here."

Leo’s anger cooled, replaced by frustration. Erin’s recklessness had put Rin in danger, but the kid was safe now, and her mana could help them in the current situation.

She wasn’t like him—trapped in a teenager’s body with an old soul. She was just a scared teenage girl who did this thinking it would save others.

He sighed, stepping closer and patting Rin’s head gently. "It’s okay. Don’t do reckless shit again, got it?" Rin’s eyes lifted, a small, shaky smile breaking through her guilt.

"Your magic’s amazing. Good work." He said with a gentle smile.

"T-thanks."

He turned, looking up at the shimmering dome overhead. "So, the target has to die to unlock this thing?" he asked, voice low.

Varkas scratched his head. "Who’s the target, then?"

Leo shrugged. "Some random idiot, maybe."

Rin’s voice piped up, hesitant. "There’s... another way. The professors said killing the caster stops it. The caster’s inside the dome somewhere."

Leo’s eyes turned to the dense forest beyond the clearing. "Find the caster, huh? Easier said than done in this hellhole."

Then.

He froze mid-thought, a primal instinct spiking through him. The air grew heavy, suffocating, like a storm about to break. His heart pounded, and he saw Velmira collapse to her knees, trembling violently.

"Hey, what happened?" Varkas rushed to her side, but she waved him off, her voice a shaky whisper.

"There’s... something here. Worst. Scary." Her divine mana pulsed faintly, her eyes wide with terror. Her divine mana gavs her power to sense bad energy. But the thing she sensed right now, she never felt something worse like this.

____

Outside the dome, Every professor felt it too. Even Viola and Volkhardt straightened sensing that ominous energy.

Veymoor, despite his age, roared, "Make it faster! We’re out of time!"

_______

Inside, miles away, Lucian stood defiant, his soul resonance weapon glowing red in his grip.

His eyes burned with rage as he looked at the towering figure before him, an eight-foot warrior clad in dark armor, spiked pauldrons gleaming, a flowing red cape billowing behind. The dragon-helm’s purple eyes blazed, and the greatsword in his hands hummed with blue runes.

The pressure was crushing, but Lucian didn’t flinch. Behind him, a handful of students he’d saved cowered, their faces pale.

Lucian glared into the warrior’s glowing eyes. "So, you’re the one behind this?"

In the warrior’s vision, Lucian burned like a beacon, a challenge. With a slow, deliberate motion, he raised his greatsword, ready for battle.

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