Chapter 84: The picture?

Everyone held their breath, not daring to inhale, both hands clamped over their mouths. Their hearts hammered wildly, anxiety flooding their chests.

Earlier, just one ordinary monster had nearly killed them. Luckily, Jonathan had risked his life to shove it back, giving them a chance to run.

Otherwise, all three of them would probably already be dead.

However, Jonathan had been badly injured as well, the cut on his arm so deep they could see bone. If not for the potion he’d downed earlier, he probably wouldn’t even be able to stay conscious right now.

But now, another monster had appeared.

In a place where everyone’s combat Abilities were sealed, they were nothing more than ants to a monster.

So the best thing they could do was hide.

Even though Nanoe, Jonathan, and Laura didn’t dare turn around to look, they could tell from that beam of light that the glowing creature was searching for them.

What if it was a Survivor? They didn’t know. But it was still safest to stay hidden. Would there really be a Survivor capable of moving so casually while searching around like that?

Maybe someone like that existed, but they didn’t dare gamble. Everyone only had one life. Death meant the end.

So they couldn’t afford recklessness.

The light swept across the room for a while, then the creature left, closing the door behind it.

Clop! Clop! Clop!

Footsteps crunched over the tiled floor, smashing broken shards as they went, fading farther and farther away. Only when they could no longer hear those steps did they finally let out a relieved breath.

“Ha… ha… ha…” Laura panted as she asked, “What the hell was that thing just now? Why do I feel like that light earlier was so holy, so warm?”

Jonathan shot Laura a look like she was an idiot and whispered, “If you felt that way, why didn’t you rush out and hug it?”

Laura: “…”

She grimaced, honestly wanting to punch Jonathan in the face.

Nanoe shook her head. “I felt the same as Laura. It’s just… I’m afraid it was fake. Monsters can take countless forms, countless ways to fool us, so we have to be even more cautious.”

Laura nodded. Then suddenly she noticed something, frowning. “Oy. Did you guys notice that painting over there?”

Nanoe and Jonathan glanced in the direction Laura was looking. There really was a painting. In it, a man was being burned alive, surrounded by a space scribbled with spiraling circles.

What was strange was that even though the man was on fire, both hands clutching his head, his face wore an insanely manic smile.

When they looked at the painting, all three of them felt a heavy, unpleasant sensation, along with the eerie impression that the man in the painting… was smiling at them.

“Laura, that painting is really weird. You shouldn’t stand near it,” Nanoe said urgently.

Laura shook her head and said, “I have an ability for recognizing positions. I can remember where everything is after seeing it once. But… that painting, when we first came into the room, it was clearly near the door. Now it’s near us.”

Nanoe and Jonathan sucked in a breath, a chill sliding down their spines.

In this bizarre space, even the smallest detail could drag them into deadly danger.

Now, neither Nanoe nor Jonathan dared dismiss Laura’s words. Their eyes locked onto the painting.

The room fell into silence, broken only by the three of them breathing, and a faint “tak… tak…” like something being burned by fire.

All three heard it, and their unease deepened into cold dread. Even their legs began to tremble instinctively.

The dim filament bulb on the ceiling swayed gently despite the lack of wind, making the atmosphere feel even heavier and gloomier.

The painting across from them became clearer and clearer. No, it wasn’t that it was clearer. It was as if the flames in the painting were actually burning.

“Move!” Nanoe shouted.

Laura and Jonathan didn’t know what she was about to do, but they still retreated a step.

Nanoe had strengthened herself in the [Spirit] direction, but thanks to the Strength Cultivation Method and her “Combat Outfit,” her Strength had risen to 35 points.

With one hand, she grabbed the sofa chair beside her and hurled it hard at the painting.

WHOOSH!

The chair traced an arc through the air, flying straight toward the painting. Laura and Jonathan both jolted at the sight.

They never would’ve thought Nanoe’s physical strength was this terrifying.

Jonathan had witnessed Selina go up against Urlgun and knew her strength was monstrous, but Nanoe was different. Since the moment they’d met, he’d never once seen her actually use her power.

Laura was different too. Her shock came from the fact that earlier she’d been able to tell Nanoe built her stats toward [Spirit], not [Strength], yet Nanoe could casually hurl a sofa chair that would take two grown men to lift.

Just as the chair was about to slam into the painting, the man inside it suddenly moved, his smile twisting into something even more insane.

Right after that…

BAM!

The chair exploded, turning into countless embers that scattered everywhere.

Seeing that, Nanoe jolted and shouted, “Run!”

Laura didn’t think twice, immediately sprinting toward the door. Jonathan stayed where he was, frowning as he asked, “What about you?”

Nanoe smiled. “Don’t worry. My strength is higher than yours. I’ll run last. You being here only makes it harder for me to move.”

Jonathan bit down hard, jealousy surging in his chest. Having a woman like this… what else could Rover possibly ask for?

“If I can clear this mission, I’ll definitely buy you back from Rover,” Jonathan said, then rushed toward the door.

Nanoe didn’t respond, because she simply didn’t care what Jonathan said.

In her heart, there was only Rover. If he threw her away, then she could only go to her little sister.

As long as Rover kept her by his side, she would do everything she could, pour out all her worth, just to serve him.

That was Nanoe’s mindset.

She didn’t know why she thought like this. Maybe it was because she loved him, or maybe it was the System’s rules influencing her.

But no matter what it was, she didn’t care.

BANG!!!

At that moment, the door suddenly slammed shut.

Laura and Jonathan had just reached it, and the sight of it made their hearts sink even further.

Jonathan swung his leg and kicked the door.

BAM!

“Agh!” Jonathan gritted his teeth in pain. After all, aside from his Class, he was practically useless in this place.

The door only trembled slightly from his kick, then went still again. Jonathan cursed, “For fuck’s sake! Why is this shitty door so damn hard?!”

Laura looked around and realized there were no windows, no other way out. A coldness spread through her, freezing her solid.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

The crackling sound of something burning grew faster, clearer.

From the painting, the man slowly stepped out, his body twisting as if the flames were torturing him.

“Woo… woo… woo…”

A ragged, pain-filled sucking sound came from him, yet amid the crazed flames, his face wore a savage grin. Melted skin slid off in chunks onto the floor, hissing “sizzle sizzle” in a way that made your skin crawl.

BANG!

Right then, a loud explosion rang out, and a fireball detonated violently, engulfing the entire body of that bizarre man.

Jonathan and Laura flinched, turning toward Nanoe, only to see she was holding a gun they hadn’t even noticed before.

She frowned, aiming straight at that strange man, and kept firing.

BANG!

BOOM!

The moment the bullet touched him, it exploded, forming another fireball that swallowed him whole.

“Fire? Magic? No way!” Laura blurted. “How can she use magic?!”

Jonathan frowned, staring at her gun more closely. His eyes narrowed as if he’d realized something. “That’s not magic she’s using.”

“Hm?! What do you mean?” Laura asked, confused.

Jonathan said in a low voice, “It’s energy she compressed into the bullets ahead of time. Now she just fires them, and the magic inside triggers on its own.”

Laura jolted, staring at Nanoe with disbelief.

Jonathan was just as stunned. Nanoe could still use magic in such a bizarre way. And beyond that, she’d been thorough enough to anticipate she wouldn’t be able to use magic, so she’d prepared this in advance.

The more he saw, the more Jonathan wanted Nanoe. He didn’t even need her body. Just her ability and intelligence would already make her a perfect [Tenant].

He even thought that if Nanoe were an [Owner], her strength would definitely surpass his.

’Looks like…’ Jonathan thought to himself, ’I can use that thing to trade for Nanoe’s freedom.’

Nanoe frowned, staring at the bizarre man being devoured by terrifying flames.

She really had considered the possibility of being unable to use magic or running out of energy, so she’d created a method of storing magic like this.

The strange creature screamed, “WOO!!!”

The flames around his body blasted outward, turning into a wave of fire that spread across the entire room.

WHOOSH!

“Run!”

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