Chapter 158

Chapter 158: The Adversary

After witnessing the skeletal monster, Dorothy’s mind was in chaos. Her thoughts began to slow down, and her consciousness started to waver. An incomparable sorrow welled up within her heart, and she wanted to cry, but her sluggish thoughts prevented her from knowing how to do so.

It was unclear how long this state persisted before she gradually felt her consciousness becoming clearer. As she steadied herself on the ground with her hands covering her head and slowly opened her eyes, what appeared before her was the smiling figure of Audric.

“Haha… Even without any protection, merely seeing the remains of a divine being didn’t cause you to collapse instantly; you were only slightly affected mentally. Miss Meyshos, my interest in you has deepened even further.”

Standing in front of Dorothy, Audric smiled as he spoke. Dorothy shook her head and, after regaining some clarity, asked:

“What was that thing just now?”

“It’s a fragment of a divine being’s skull, discovered by that fellow during his exploration and incorporated into a construct. It’s his ace and emblem, which is how the title ‘Lu Ke’ came about.”

Looking at the calm sky in the distance, Audric continued calmly.

“Generally, ordinary people or low-tier Extraordinary Beings who witness a divine existence suffer various negative effects. There could be direct mental radiation or poison recognition, sometimes accompanied by physical mutations. Although it was just a fragment, its impact was much lighter. However, for you to still be standing is beyond my expectations…”

Observing Dorothy in front of him, Audric spoke frankly, and Dorothy nodded in understanding.

‘Witnessing a divine being results in many negative effects… including poison recognition. Since I am immune to it, the impact was much lighter. Therefore, I could still stand after seeing that fragment. Audric also helped me eliminate other negative influences.’

Upon hearing Audric’s words, Dorothy understood the reason for her previous state. Suddenly, she thought of something else.

‘Right, if witnessing divinity affects ordinary people and low-tier Extraordinary Beings negatively, then Vania…’

At this moment, Dorothy turned to look at the church behind her, where she saw Vania lying unconscious before the altar. She quickly ran over to check on her and found her in a coma.

“Hey, my companion seems to have fainted after seeing that thing. What should we do now?” Turning around, Dorothy immediately asked Audric, who walked over to examine her and replied:

“Not a big problem, let’s move her to the basement.”

With that, Audric stood up, opened the secret passage leading to the basement, and went down. Dorothy controlled the zombie puppet to carry Vania and followed him.

Soon, Dorothy followed Audric to the familiar underground workshop. Following Audric’s instructions, she placed Vania on a long table in the workshop. Then, Audric had Dorothy administer two vials of medicine to the unconscious Vania. Afterward, Audric lit special incense and consumed several spirit storage items to perform a simple ritual for Vania, then clapped his hands to signal completion.

“Alright, now we just need to wait for this young lady to wake up. All she needs is a bit of time.”

Listening to Audric’s words, Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief and continued to joke with him:

“I see you used so many things. When she wakes up, won’t you charge her? She’s just a novice nun from the Radiant Church and doesn’t have much money.”

“Haha… What are you talking about, Miss Meyshos? I’m always clear about debts. Today, you helped me greatly, and I owe you. How could I dare ask for fees? If I really wanted money, I’d charge at least a hundred pounds for the information about the divine being I just shared with you.”

Sitting in an old chair, Audric chuckled. Hearing this response, Dorothy couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart.

‘This old man, he can be so meticulous about everything. Only he knows how much he owes.’

After inwardly grumbling, Dorothy continued asking:

“So, you’ve successfully defeated your great adversary?”

“More or less. But more accurately, I defeated one of his bone curse avatars. His main body is still out there.”

Audric slowly explained, while Dorothy asked in confusion:

“Bone curse avatar?”

“‘The Path of Stone’… A branch of Bone Craftsman. At the Red Tier ‘Great Spirit Bone Witch’ level, one can create a bone curse avatar by using a piece of their own bone. This avatar can be attached to other skeletons. Like this one…”

As he spoke, Audric took out an object from behind him. Dorothy looked closely and saw a black human bone engraved with incantations, which was now broken into two pieces, clearly cut.

“This is… the bone curse. So, that Lu Ke is at the Red Tier?”

Looking at the broken bone, Dorothy continued questioning, and Audric answered:

“Yes. However, relying on the remains of a divine being, his strength is almost at the peak of the Red Tier, just a step away from achieving a great feat and advancing to the Golden Tier. But this time, he lost a bone curse, so his power must have taken a slight hit.”

‘That monster… has nearly reached the peak of the Red Tier. He’s just a step away from advancing to the Golden Tier…’ Dorothy thought upon hearing Audric’s words, then she continued questioning:

“So, since he’s so powerful, how did you become enemies?”

Hearing Dorothy’s words, Audric paused, then fell silent for a moment. After drinking a cup of tea, he slowly replied:

“The enmity between us dates back two hundred years. At that time, both of us belonged to the upper echelons of the White Stone Craftsmen Guild, both at the Red Tier level, and were among the top performers.