"You don't want to mess with my damn father! Once I get out, I'll make sure to tell him everything! See what happens to you then!"

"Yeah...!"

"Do you know who her father is?!"

"Oy, your dad is just as powerful as mine."

"Ah, that..."

Evelyn blushed.

"I... just..."

"Whatever, fuck. Do you know who her father is?!"

A crowd had formed at the door that led to the inner area. Kiera, who was leading the crowd, started shouting all sorts of curses while throwing the weight of her father's status around.

Kiera herself found her actions to be cringe-worthy, but seeing how flustered the guards were, she knew it was working.

For that reason, she doubled down.

"If you don't give us a proper explanation, my father will not let you go! Your life will be over before you know it!"

Evelyn on the other hand was having a much harder time helping Kiera.

"Y-yeah... My father too!"

Her sense of shame was much greater than Kiera's.

In fact, did Kiera even have a sense of shame? She didn't seem like the person to.

Biting her lips, Evelyn felt her face grow hot.

"F-father...!"

"Everyone, please calm down!"

The members of the guilds did try to calm the situation down, some even started to target Kiera who was clearly the main source of the chaos.

But she had none of it.

"Oy, fucker! Where the hell are you touching?"

"Uh? It was just your shoulder!"

"Fuck he touched me!! You're done for! My father will get you!"

"No, that's..."

Whether Kiera had shame or not, Evelyn had to admit. She had perfected her craft. The chaos only seemed to worsen with each one of her antics.

"I've been molested!"

The situation was getting so out of hand that several guards had to rush into the inner area to call for reinforcements.

Evelyn thought that a post-leader would eventually come, but all of a sudden, she managed to pick up the sound of a distant rumbling.

Booom

The rumbling was accompanied by the distant sound of an explosion.

Immediately, all the noise stopped.

While the sound wasn't very powerful and was rather toned down, most of the people present were superhumans. Their senses were far keener than those of normal people. Most people in the room heard it, and Kiera no longer needed to do a thing to sow chaos.

By then, even the people that were not participating started to participate.

"What's going on?!"

"Was that the sound of an explosion?"

"Are we getting attacked? What's going on!?"

"What's happening?"

Kiera, who had been at the lead the entire time, took the chance to dip and join back with Evelyn at the back.

"Hoo.... looks like my job is done."

"Y-ou did great."

"Huh, yeah, sure. Thanks, I guess."

Kiera scratched the back of her head while staring at the inner area with a frown.

"You heard that didn't you?"

".....Yes. I think all of us heard it."

"What do you think happened?"

"I... don't know. It did sound like an explosion."

"....."

Kiera turned quite from that point. Fiddling with her thumbs, she looked at Evelyn and was just about to say something when she stopped, her eyes widening slightly.

"What...?"

Taking note of the look on Kiera's face, Evelyn tilted her head.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something..."

Drip...!

And then she heard it.

A faint, almost inaudible dripping sound that was masked by the chaos around.

Lowering her head, Evelyn looked at the faint red drop that splattered on the ground. All of a sudden, her head felt light as she looked back up to Kiera who brought her hands to her shoulders.

"Oy, dude! Are you okay?"

Dude...?

Even in her state, Evelyn had a hard time getting used to Kiera's words.

Normally, she would've been a bit bothered.

But she didn't have the energy to do that now. Looking around, the world around her started to spin. Feeling a certain tickling sensation on her cheeks, she tried to take a breath, but as if something was squeezing at her chest, she found herself unable to.

"Oy! Oy!"

Her world grew dark shortly after that.

Slap

Kiera slapped her in the face.

Even in her state, Evelyn was stunned.

Slap, slap!

But Kiera continued to slap her.

"Oy!"

'I'll remember this.'

Evelyn thought to herself while hearing Kiera's voice.

The last thing she remembered was the sound that came out of her mouth.

"Hieeeeeeek"

It was a scream.

....And it wasn't just one.

"Hieeeeeeek"

In the background, she heard the sound of multiple screams.

***

'....I'm almost there '

Tak, tak

Walking along the corridor, I felt my face scrunch up due to the exhaustion. I was tired, and the little mana that I had managed to recover was now practically depleted again.

'I need to get a better manual.'

With a better one, I'd have been able to recover my mana faster and had an easier time moving around.

Still, the situation was still under control.

With the second bomb going off, I was able to throw off the guards a little bit. The path to the exit was one without interference.

'They're either at the location where the second bomb went off, or they're waiting for me at the entrance.'

The fact that I was able to detonate a mana bomb threw them off and scared them somewhat.

Given how narrow the corridor was, they'd be at a massive disadvantage.

Therefore, the ideal situation for them was to wait and guard at the exit. It made sense, and it was something that I was hoping would happen.

I was too exhausted to put up any fight.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

Walking across the corridor, I could hear the sound of my own breath.

It was rough, marking just how exhausted I was.

Not just physically, but mentally too. From the fear to the possible consequences that I was going to face when all of this was over.

.....I had killed quite a lot of people in order to escape.

While I may not suffer at all from this since I had the backing of Haven and my actions were for my escape, it didn't mean that the Guilds wouldn't have resentments against me for what I had done.

In fact, it could very well mean that my actions had turned several Guilds against me.

The thought made my head throb.

But it wasn't just that. I could feel something eerie lingering in the air. It was eating at my mind, and numbing my emotions.

I also felt that the Guilds were acting strange.

.....And I had a feeling that all of it had to do with the tree. For some reason, it felt as though everything was trying to stop me from finding out about it.

From the Crimson Shade to the entrapment.

'I need to get out here.'

I was bound to get an answer once I got out.

Right before turning the corner, I stopped.

"...."

Peeking slightly, I could see over a dozen guards standing before a massive metallic door within a large opening.

Pinching my brows, I took a deep breath and looked at the guard beside me.

Patting him on the shoulder, my hand twitched and he turned the corner for me.

"Who goes there...!?"

"He's here!"

I could hear the alarmed shouts of the guards.

"Stay back! He's got mana bombs!"

"Get away from the corridors!"

As expected, they knew I had mana bombs on me. It was for that reason that they avoided being in the corridors.

With the narrow spacing, it was suicide to confront someone armed with explosives.

"Wait a second, don't move!"

A rough voice suddenly filled the space.

The noise died down, and I heard the sound of a rough step.

"Come out."

"...."

My skin prickled at the voice. It sounded oppressive, and my chest felt heavy.

"I know this is a decoy. Unlike the rest of them, I can see clearly that you're controlling him from the back. Get out before I get you."

"...."

Tak

I stepped out of the corridor and turned to face the opening that led to the exit. From where I was, I could see the last door. Over a dozen guards were guarding it, and at the front was a burly man with bushy brows and a bald head. The pressure he gave out was rather terrifying, almost reminding me of Professor Hollowe's.

No, not quite like him...

A little bit less, but around there.

Tier 4 to Tier 5.

It was impossible for me to fight him.

I was so close, and yet so far.

Currently, he was holding onto the head of the guard whose body I had used as a decoy.

It was an intimidating sight. The guard's hand was massive, grasping the head of the decoy with just one hand and lifting it up.

In the meantime, he stared at me with a little bit of wariness.

"I don't know how you managed to get your hands on the bombs, but we're no longer in the corridors. You'll have a much harder time hitting anyone in this space."

He was right.

Looking around, the space was rather large.

The radius of the mana bombs was small. Unlike the narrow corridors, if prepared, the guards could simply avoid the bombs in this large space.

.....It was indeed impossible for me to use them here.

I took a step back.

"Stop."

The man's voice fell again, and I felt a tremendous pressure wash over me.

"The post-leaders will be here soon. It'll be in your best interests if you stop now."

Looking at the body in his hand, he frowned.

"You've already killed several of the guards assigned here. Don't add up to your crimes."

Perhaps because he too was worried about the bombs in my possession, he didn't approach me and preferred to wait for the post-leaders.

"....."

Standing quietly, I held my breath as I felt sweat trickle down the side of my face.

The silence felt stifling.

Standing on the opposite side of the guards, the situation seemed hopeless.

I had just moved my hand to reach for my pocket when the guard shouted.

"Stop!"

My movements halted briefly.

".....You move even just a bit, and your head flies off. Do you understand me?"

I was unable to answer as I struggled to move.

Raising my head slightly, I met the man's gaze. He was no longer grasping the guard's body, and instead, he was holding onto a large axe, seemingly prepared to attack at any moment.

At the sight, I closed my eyes before nodding my head.

"Understood."

"Good..."

The man nodded in satisfaction.

In that brief moment when he nodded, my hand flicked.

"Uh...?"

Confused, the guard looked at me.

But it was too late.

I had already run back.

"What ar"

His head flicked to the body next to him. Realization dawned on him, but it was too late.

BOOOM

A massive explosion sounded.

It shook the entire surroundings.

"Ahhhhh!"

And several screams followed after that.

'While he probably isn't dead, or suffered any major injuries, those were several mana bombs. It should be enough to buy me time.'

Once the bombs exploded, I turned back and rushed for the exit door.

It was hard to see given all the dust that was flying in the air, but it was no problem for me to find the handle of the door.

With the key already prepared, I placed it into the socket and turned it.

Clank

Shortly after that, I turned the wheel and the door started to rumble.

Rumble...! Rumble!

Using all my muscles, I continued to twist the door. My back was drenched and my muscles were stiff.

"S-stop him!"

"Someone stop him...!"

I could hear the guards behind me, rushing in my direction.

My chest tingled as I continued to turn the wheel.

Rumble!

'Come on! Come on! Come on!'

As an opening appeared, a wave of heat surged into the room, and the color red began to invade the surroundings.

"S-stop him!"

"....!"

A hand grasped onto my shoulder.

Turning around, I met eyes with one of the guards and I let go of the door before rushing towards the gap.

"Sto-p!"

Time seemed to slow down for me.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see several hands reach out for me within the dust that filled the space.

Staring at them briefly, I ducked down before twisting my body into the narrow gap of the door.

I felt my heart speed up with anxiety as I managed to get half of my body out.

However, just as I did, something clamped at my leg.

Turning around, I saw the burly man from before staring at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Huaak...!"

My insides tightened at the sight.

Regardless of how much I tried to pull away, he wouldn't let go.

"Come back here...!"

I almost lost my footing as he pulled me back into the bunker.

"You...! Are not getting out"

I tossed something in the narrow gap before he could get his words out.

His expression changed drastically, and the grip over my ankle loosened.

I took the chance to pull my leg away and rush away.

Booom

An explosion followed suit.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

Rushing away, I didn't once look back. With heavy breaths, I ran and ran and ran.

Mana coated my body as I ran.

Despite the heat and the suffocating air, staring at my surroundings, I felt my breath grow lighter.

Finally,

I had escaped.