Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Lightning Vines!

Bert raised his hands toward the incoming Shambler Lords and a wave of lightning mana surged all around him. The green lightning streaks appeared and began grabbing onto the incoming monsters like the vines of predatory trees.

"Grrrrrr!"

The Monster Lords growled when they were subjected to Bert's unique lightning-powered attack. But the scariest part was yet to come for them.

Lightning wasn't that effective against plant-based monsters because of their affinity with wood elements and their lightning-resisting properties. However, what if the lightning fuses with water and the fusion changes the derived element into something entirely different?

Bert had jumped over the Shambler Lords' heads when they were restrained in their positions by his lightning vines. He cast his next ability when he was sure that the monsters wouldn't be able to run away.

"Lightning Wave!"

Bert's AoE enhanced the effects the lightning vines were delivering on the Shambler Lords. It first conjured a dense mass of green water and trapped the three monsters inside a liquid sphere.

The elemental fusion between lightning and water increased the potency of lighting to a whole new level. Inside the transparent, green-tinted sphere one could see that the three Shambler Lords were writhing in pain and agony as their bodies started to chip down because of the overwhelming lightning effect.

The lightning vines started to multiply at a rapid pace inside the lightning-fused water. The nature of this water seemed no different than normal water as it looked liquified and free-flowing. Yet, the fact that Bert, who had jumped over the Monster Lords' heads beforehand, could stand over the giant sphere attested that the nature of the water wasn't as simple as it let out to be.

Arizihana was shocked that a lightning element user could use their lightning like that. She had never heard of anyone with this ability. And the way with which Bert took care of all three Monster Lords at once without breaking a sweat told her that this was not the extent of his powers.

'What in the world is this man? Is he some old monster in disguise?'

Arizihana had this thought as she watched Bert jump down from the sphere he had created with his ability. She could already predict what must have happened to the three Shambler Lords who had come to her to commit suicide.

Thud! Thus! Thud!

The water sphere that had entrapped three monsters within it dissipated after Bert jumped down from it. And the monster bodies crashed onto the ground with loud thuds.

Bert looked at Arizihana and Romel who were still not done with fighting with their lot of monsters. He frowned before commenting.

"You might want to focus on your battles. If I end up killing all those monsters, I'll take their corpses for myself."

Arizihana and Romel looked at each other when they heard Bert's statement. They had agreed before entering the Mini Monster Canyon that the corpses of monsters will be kept by those who kill them.

The two couldn't believe that a D-Ranker would have dibs on lower leveled monsters just because of the arrangements they had made beforehand. They gritted their teeth and focused on their respective battles.

On the market, the Shambler corpses sold for a lot of money. A Shambler Soldier costs 100 Extols, while the body of a Shambler Leader could be sold for up to 300 Extols. The bodies of Shambler Lords were even more precious and could be auctioned off at various places.

With his daggers in hand, Bert kept his eyes on his surroundings in silence. Seeing that things were under control, he didn't try to help the two rankers anymore.

The two people took care of their business after 10 or so minutes. Just when they were about to move to a different spot to continue their hunt, Bert felt something glow in his storage space.

This was an array disk meant to be used for long-distance communication. Someone was trying to contact him from outside the separate dimension. He needed to go outside to tap into this channel of communication.

'It can probably wait. I'll see what this dimension has to offer first.'

Bert pondered before leading the two rankers with him to a distant location. Just like most of the rankers who had come here, he was checking Minerva's Utopia out.

He could see why the separate dimension was generating so much hype across all the ranker communities. Even cultists were mixed in the crowds. This space was a treasure trove for potioners and rakers of other inclinations alike. They could easily earn double what they had paid for coming here. Even with all the charges the management of Minerva's Utopia imposed on the rankers, it was worth it.

'That bastard fox surpassed my expectations.'

Bert couldn't believe that he once attended the same academy as the owner of White Raven city and saw him as just another pebble. Now that he looked back, he felt like his past was all a dream.

He was once the promising heir of a baron who was set to enter the prestigious Royal Renar academy. But then the twist of fate had landed him in LA where he shined once again with his sheer talent and hard work. Just when he thought that things could finally take off for him, he was labeled with the title of the Osan Woods butcher.

He had his appearance changed because he still had an active bounty placed on his head. His entire existence had deviated from his previous self. So much so that even his grandfather Isen Osan won't be able to recognize him.

Bert was none other than Ivor Osan. He had come here to check things out and meet up with Eren and Layla. However, he was unable to reach either with the means given to him by Eliza. So he had decided to spend his time exploring Minerva's Utopia.

Of course, he didn't contact anybody other than these two. He was very cautious of his identity. That's why he picked Romel when the guy tried to swindle him. A thief like Romel was easier to deal with than a ranker with any known or unknown connections.