Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

Chapter 124 Impact

The dark red light in the night sky grew brighter and brighter.

It was like a giant eye slowly opening, enveloping the entire industrial park in an eerie red light.

The air began to tremble, and a low hum came from the ground, as if something was awakening deep within the earth's crust.

Li Ren stopped and looked up at the sky.

At this moment, the concentration of magical energy inside the barrier is increasing exponentially, like a giant balloon being continuously inflated, about to reach a critical point.

"They're here."

The next second, the red light suddenly exploded.

H-1

A visible shockwave spread outward from the center of the barrier, like an invisible tsunami, sweeping everything away.

Wherever it passed, the ground cracked, walls collapsed, abandoned vehicles were overturned, and reinforced concrete emitted a piercing wail from the impact.

Every inch of air was filled with compressed magical energy particles, which, like countless fine needles, pierced through the bodies of every player, forcibly stimulating the magical energy within them.

No matter where you hide, no matter what kind of barrier spell you use to conceal yourself, you will be exposed in the face of this shockwave.

Those who tried to hide in basements, crevices in ruins, or even within protective barriers were now forced to expose themselves.

Because the shockwave will destroy the balance of magical energy within any enclosed space, forcing you out; otherwise, your magical energy will run rampant within your body, blasting you to pieces from the inside out.

"run!

""

Rito grabbed Saya's wrist and rushed toward an open area.

His judgment was extremely decisive. Rather than being forced into a narrow corner and passively exposed by the shockwave, it was better to actively choose advantageous terrain.

The two rushed out of the alley, crossed a broken asphalt road, and arrived at an empty square.

It was an open space in front of the old textile factory, about the size of two football fields. It was surrounded by abandoned factory buildings and warehouses, with an open space in the center covered with weeds and gravel.

At this moment, a dozen or so people had gathered in the square.

Everyone kept a wary distance; some crouched behind broken concrete blocks, some leaned against abandoned machinery, and some stood directly in the center of the open space with solemn expressions.

The shockwave's aftershocks still reverberated in the air, and the lingering red glow had not yet dissipated.

Li Ren quickly scanned the area and formed a general judgment in his mind.

Most of these dozen or so people were low-ranked players, with skill levels roughly between level three and level two sorcerers.

Their magical energy fluctuations were unstable, and their aura was disordered; clearly, the shockwave from earlier had disrupted their rhythm.

But two people caught the rational person's attention.

The first one was a middle-aged man standing on the east side of the square.

He was a burly man, wearing a black tactical vest that revealed his thick, scarred arms.

His hair was shaved very short, and there was a hideous scar on his face that ran diagonally from his brow bone to his jaw, making him look like a ferocious wild beast.

He stood beside a sloping concrete slab, arms crossed, his cold gaze sweeping over his surroundings.

His incantation power was profound, and his aura was steady.

At least at the level of a first-level sorcerer.

The second one was a young man on the west edge of the square.

He looked to be in his early twenties, thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and black trousers, making him look more like an office worker who had just finished get off work.

However, the fluctuations in his magical power made Rito feel something subtle.

The fluctuations were not strong, and could even be described as very weak, but their frequency was extremely stable, like a calmly flowing river, neither fast nor slow, and undisturbed by any external factors.

Maintaining such a stable state of magical power in this environment is no easy feat.

Rito withdrew his gaze and pulled Xiaoye toward an abandoned loading and unloading platform on the south side of the square.

That spot had its back against a wall, offering a wide view of the entire square and providing escape routes on both sides.

"Sit down and don't move," Rito said in a low voice.

Xiaoye nodded, hugged her knees, and scanned her surroundings warily.

The atmosphere in the square was extremely tense.

Although the shock wave has ended, its aftershocks have not completely dissipated.

The residual magical energy particles in the air were still vibrating, making everyone's perception of magical energy extremely sharp.

In this environment, any slight disturbance could trigger a conflict.

At this moment, a young player wearing a gray hoodie cautiously approached the center of the square, his eyes sweeping over each player as if selecting prey.

He held a short knife in his hand, the blade stained with dark brown blood.

Clearly, this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.

"That guy's in for a rough time," Rito muttered.

Xiaoye paused for a moment, then followed his gaze.

The man in gray had reached the center of the square, and his gaze finally settled on a player who looked rather thin.

It was a boy wearing tattered sportswear, who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with a clear expression of tension and unease on his face.

A sinister smile crept across the gray-clad man's lips. He quickened his pace, slightly raising the short knife in his hand.

"Is he... going to die?" Xiaoye's voice trembled slightly.

The person in charge did not answer.

But his gaze had already shifted from the man in gray to something else.

Because the real storm will only arrive the moment the man in gray makes his move.

really.

The man in gray walked to a position three steps away from the boy, then suddenly accelerated, thrusting his short knife straight at the boy's throat.

The movements were clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

However, he was wrong.

None of the people who have survived in this barrier until now are truly weak.

Just as the short knife was about to pierce him, the boy suddenly crouched down, and at the same time, he drew a dagger from his waist with his right hand and stabbed the gray-clad man in the abdomen.

puff.

The sound of the blade piercing flesh was exceptionally clear in the silent square.

The man in gray stared wide-eyed at the dagger lodged in his abdomen, his lips trembling as he tried to say something, but his body had already lost its support and he fell forward.

The boy pulled out his dagger, wiped the blood off the gray-clad man's clothes, then looked up and scanned his surroundings.

His eyes were completely different from before.

"Anyone else want to try?" The boy's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable threat.

The square fell silent for a few seconds.

No one answered.

The boy snorted coldly, sheathed his dagger, took a few steps back, and hid himself back in the shadows.

Xiaoye was dumbfounded.

"He...he looked really scared just now."

“It’s an act,” Rito said, his gaze still fixed on the boy.

"In the cycle of death and rebirth, appearances are often the least reliable thing."

,

In his view, although the boy was quite strong, the small conflict just now did not change the power dynamics in the square.

The two things we really need to pay attention to are those two.

The burly man with the scar remained standing on the east side, arms crossed, watching the conflict unfold expressionlessly, as if it were nothing more than a farce that had nothing to do with him.

The young man with glasses didn't even look up at that spot.

He was leaning against a rusty iron pillar, looking down at his phone, seemingly completely immersed in his own world.

Li Ren's gaze lingered between the two powerful figures in the square for a moment before finally settling on the scarred, burly man on the east side.

That person's aura was even more outward-facing; their near-level-one strength was enough to intimidate most players in this situation.

More importantly, his position was close to the depths of the industrial area, and the white cursed energy cut that Xiaoye had pointed out earlier was extending in that direction.

"Wait here for me, don't move."

Li Ren whispered a word of advice, then stood up and walked straight toward the burly man.

His footsteps were particularly clear in the empty square, immediately attracting several wary glances.

The burly man with the scar noticed him too, his brows furrowed slightly, and he slowly lowered his arms that were crossed over his chest.

"What's the matter?" The burly man's voice was deep and clearly wary.

"I'm asking about someone." Rito stopped three steps away, calmly meeting the other person's gaze. A sorcerer called "Angel," she had heard that she had appeared in this area.

.