Chapter 135: Sofia
Yuliya followed the route outlined in her diary, casually dealing with a few low-level monsters along the way like they were pesky flies.
After taking a breather at another church, fully recharged and ready to go, she headed towards her final destination mentioned in the diary.
Before she even got close, Yuliya spotted a thick cloud of black mist rising into the sky from a distance.
The surrounding black mist was likely just a small portion of the chaos emanating from that place.
It was safe to assume there were lurking dangers and hidden monsters in this neck of the woods.
Yuliya wasn’t about to charge in headfirst; who knew if there were ghosts lurking around?
So, she opted for a classic trick: draw them out!
She picked up a fist-sized rock and hurled it into the darkness.
After a series of clinks and clanks, nothing happened.
“Seriously? No response?”
She threw another stone.
Still nada.
“Ha!”
Yuliya’s temper flared.
She grabbed two rocks, one in each hand, and squeezed them together with all her might.
Squeeze, squeeze, and squeeze some more until the stones deformed and stuck together like they were having a moment of bonding.
With a cold smirk, she said, “Time to crank this up a notch.”
She tossed the squished rocks into the depths of the black mist.
Then, hiding behind a wall, she poked her head out and began counting.
“One… two… three!”
Yuliya covered her ears and ducked back.
The next moment…
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the ground.
Once the dust settled, Yuliya peeked back out.
The once-thick black mist had been blown away, revealing crumbling structures and chaos everywhere.
Immediately, a flurry of bony hands, decayed flesh, and fingers that could hardly be called hands surged from the wreckage like mushrooms after rain.
“Ugh, what a bunch of cowards, hiding like this—there must be dozens of them!”
You know the drill: if you blow up a snake’s hole, the snake has to come out, right?
Yuliya quickly scanned her surroundings and concluded that there were no ghosts in sight.
Either there weren’t many ghost monsters, or they were simply blown to bits.
Whichever it was, her arch-nemesis was out of commission.
In the chaos, the monsters realized Yuliya was there and began to converge on her.
“Perfect timing! Points for all of you!”
Yuliya grabbed a handful of stones and scattered them like a flower girl at a wedding.
Then she snapped her fingers.
The first monster charged, instinctively raising its defenses, only to realize the pebbles bouncing off were about as effective as a love tap. It became even more brazen and charged forward.
Now, the rest of the monsters?
Boom!
Boom boom!
Kaboom!
A cacophony of explosions erupted.
While these monsters didn’t cry out in agony, the sounds of crashing and clattering could provide a thrilling soundtrack to the explosive finale.
Ah, pure artistry at work.
Almost forgot—this is my forte!
Yuliya chuckled to herself, remembering her nickname that meant “art.”
A skeleton soldier lunged at her, swinging its bony sword.
Yuliya sidestepped with ease, snatched two skulls off the ground, and kicked the skeleton’s body parts away like they were in her way.
Then she boldly faced the next wave of monsters.
A hefty zombie came barreling at her with a big shield. Yuliya simply waved her two skulls:
“Hey big guy, let’s exchange gifts! If you don’t agree, no worries, I’m in!”
In the next blink, Yuliya and the charging zombie brushed past each other.
The zombie felt a lightness in its hand, looked down, and realized it was left with nothing but two skulls instead of its shield.
Its big, wooden head couldn’t comprehend the situation, leaving its remaining tuft of hair perplexed.
But then came a sound…
Beep… beep… beep…
BOOM!!!
Yuliya didn’t look back at the explosion; she was now clutching a shield taller than herself.
“Man, this is a bit cumbersome.”
Nope, not really.
With both hands on the edges, she propped the shield to her right, used her whole body to spin, and hurled it like a flying disc.
This wasn’t just a shield; it was a massive boomerang!
The shield sliced through ten monsters, still zooming ahead like a freight train.
Yuliya zipped alongside it and stood right on the shield.
Sometimes, it doubles as a skateboard, you know?
In this way, Yuliya transformed the shield into a boomerang one moment, a skateboard the next, clearing out monsters left and right.
Soon, she found herself back where the explosion had occurred.
While the black mist had thinned significantly, it was still rising from the ruins below.
The source was right underneath—time to deal with it.
She zeroed in on the spot where the black mist was thickest: “Repel!”
This time, she expertly controlled the spatial repelling force, clearing the debris covering the area.
With the obstruction gone, the situation below was laid bare.
“It’s a magic circle… and it looks decidedly shady.”
The entire sigil was red, encompassing a radius of about ten meters.
Currently, the magic circle was dormant, its color dimmed, but it occasionally flickered ominously dark red.
Yuliya took a closer look at the surroundings of the circle; based on the remnants left on the ground, it seemed the circle had been intentionally placed on this building.
Master, there’s more to this chapter—click to the next page for even more intense action!
Perhaps the villagers of Drywood Village were once trapped in a similar predicament.
Although the magic circle was dormant now, standing on it made Yuliya feel her bl**d stir and her very soul thrum with agitation.
You can imagine the agony a living person would endure if they stood on an activated circle.
This was definitely a piece of work that couldn’t be allowed to stick around. Now that she was here, it was time to blow it up!
No matter how mysteriously powerful this magic circle was, along with the land it was inscribed upon, she’d blow the whole thing to smithereens!
Just as Yuliya prepared to go all out, she sensed something.
Immediately, she swiveled around, her right hand slicing down towards a spot off to the side.
A silent wave passed through, cutting through the wall’s corner, causing it to slide away.
“Huh? Didn’t hit?”
“Wait, that shouldn’t be possible. It must’ve gone right through.”
Yuliya’s expression turned serious as she cautiously eyed that spot.
Her spatial attribute attacks carried real damage; as long as they hit, regardless of any peculiar traits, they’d surely cause harm.
Silence fell over the area as Yuliya braced herself.
Suddenly, an ethereal yet clear voice rang out.
“Um… Daddy seems to not be here. Do you know where he went?”
Upon hearing this, Yuliya paused but quickly regained her composure.
“You’re Sofia?”
“Huh? Little Sister, you know me?”
Little… Sister…
Yuliya’s face froze.
But she decided not to argue with a minor.
“I found your diary.”
“Oh, that explains everything! Do you know where my daddy is?”
“I don’t, but we can look for him together.”
