Chapter 92 Escape

Genesis's blade shone brightly under the sunlight. Lars immediately ran forward, leaving the others behind. His message to them was clear.

Leave this monster to him alone.

The Titan Basilisk lowered its head and stared at the tiny human charging toward it. Then, it curled its enormous body before gliding across the ground toward its target. The ground shattered beneath its massive body as it accelerated toward Lars.

Lars then changed his Class to Blazing Archmage before raising Genesis and enhancing the blade with his flame magic.

FWOOSH!

Flames engulfed the blade, transforming Genesis into a blazing sword.

"What the hell is that blade? A flame sword?" Oscar asked as all of them focused their attention on Lars.

"It might be," Aleph said.

A flame sword wasn't that common in the market. It wasn't particularly rare either. Usually, one would sell for around 50,000 to 100,000 Zents, depending on its quality. That was why Aleph wasn't too shocked by the scene in front of him.

The boss monster, however, showed no fear toward the flames. It quickly closed the distance and opened its enormous mouth, attempting to swallow Lars whole.

Lars had no intention of letting himself be eaten. He stopped before swinging Genesis upward.

"Iyarghh!!"

SWOOSH!

A massive wave of flames erupted from the blade and traveled forward before striking the Titan Basilisk directly in the face.

BOOM!!

A fiery explosion engulfed its head.

"ROAAARR!"

The boss roared in pain as flames continued to burn across its scales. Lars remained standing in front of it with Genesis still burning brightly in his hand. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at the extent of the damage.

"This is better than I expected. How much does it enhance elemental damage? Twice as much, or even more?" Lars wondered.

The boss wriggled its enormous body, trying to extinguish the flames burning across its scales. It then stared at Lars before suddenly circling around him. Within seconds, Lars found himself completely surrounded by the Titan Basilisk.

However, Lars didn't panic. Instead, he changed his Class to Gale Bowmaster.

"I wonder if this sword can enhance the elemental abilities of a non-sword Class too," Lars muttered.

Genesis absorbed the wind element surrounding Lars.

FWOOSH!

The blade became enveloped by razor-sharp currents of air, moving so rapidly that it looked as if a miniature tornado was constantly spinning around the sword.

Lars then grinned before spinning his body and swinging Genesis toward his surroundings.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Razor-sharp waves of wind erupted from the blade, traveling in a circle around him before shooting outward toward the Titan Basilisk.

The blades of wind violently cut through the boss's thick scales, leaving enormous wounds across its body. Blood began pouring from the wounds. The Titan Basilisk roared in pain as its massive body writhed.

"Let me end your suffering quickly."

Lars quickly changed his Class to Tempest Duelist and enhanced Genesis with the power of thunder.

CRACKLE!

Lightning surged across the blade. Lars then jumped high into the air before swinging his sword downward. The moment he swung it, the blade extended forward with a massive arc of lightning.

SWOOSH!

The attack severed the Titan Basilisk's head cleanly from its body.

THUD!

The enormous head crashed onto the ground. The severed part was immediately burned and charred by the intense voltage. A strong smell of burning flesh filled the surrounding area.

Lars landed on the ground and looked at the boss and Genesis in his hand. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. He was genuinely pleased with the weapon's ability. But then, a question suddenly entered his mind.

"If my Common Rank Master Blacksmith can already craft a weapon this powerful, what could I possibly create if I raised its Rank to Unique, Epic, or even Legendary?"

"Would I eventually be able to create a world-shattering sword?" His eyes gleamed with anticipation. The discovery about Genesis had only made him more curious about what his future creations could accomplish.

"Lars, what is that sword? Can I take a look?" Oscar asked as he approached him.

Lars handed Genesis to him. Oscar raised the sword into the air and curiously tried to enhance it. Suddenly, the sword reacted to the elemental power of his Ice Warlock Class.

CRACK!

Ice rapidly spread across the blade, completely covering it. The freezing effect even reached the handle and covered Oscar's hand.

"Whoa!"

Oscar panicked and instinctively swung the sword forward.

SWOOSH!

A massive ice spike erupted from the ground and traveled forward, heading directly toward Benn Strong.

"Hey!"

Benn Strong barely managed to dodge it at the last second. He then turned toward Oscar with an angry expression.

"Do you want to kill me, brat?!" he shouted.

Oscar quickly dropped Genesis and raised both hands.

"I-I didn't mean to!"

Lars's eyes widened as he looked at what had happened. He quickly took Genesis back, and the sword returned to its normal form. He then tried enhancing it with thunder, but everything worked perfectly fine.

However, when he handed it back to Oscar and asked him to try again, Oscar hesitated at first before reluctantly attempting it. Once again, Genesis reacted violently.

'So it's not a coincidence.'

Lars narrowed his eyes. After observing the weapon carefully, Lars finally deduced its weakness.

"Looks like it actually can't properly handle the elemental power of a Rare Rank or higher Class. Maybe it's because of the limitations of the materials...or perhaps it's because of my skill?"

Lars sighed.

"Looks like it isn't as perfect as I thought.

I should remember this limitation for the future."

For Lars, every failure was another piece of information that could help him become a better blacksmith.

Aleph came closer to Lars and asked where he had bought it. He looked genuinely interested in Genesis and its effects. Lars, as usual, used his old excuse.

"I bought it from one of my secret sources."

Aleph's eyes narrowed suspiciously while Lars could only give him an awkward smile.

"Alright, looks like all of us are becoming increasingly familiar with our Classes. Let's go back. Boss will be holding a meeting after this," Aleph said.

All of them then made their way toward the dungeon exit.

---

Inside the unknown Black Maria base, one of the members guarding Celine's room yawned before looking at his watch.

"Looks like my shift is ending. I'm going to go first. Don't leave this post no matter what, Stan," he said to the other guard.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry," Stan replied, waving his hand.

His partner then walked away, leaving him alone. As a lower-ranked member, Stan, along with the other lower-ranked members, was assigned to jobs like this.

But he didn't mind as long as he was paid.

"AAAHH!"

Suddenly, a loud cry came from inside the room.

"Hey! What happened?" Stan asked as he quickly opened the small viewing slot on the door.

He looked around but couldn't see Celine. His face immediately paled as fear began creeping into his mind. His boss had specifically warned the Black Maria members to watch her carefully. If anything happened to Celine, he would be the one responsible.

He quickly searched for the key in his pocket before unlocking the door.

Kreeek!

As soon as the door opened, he looked around but couldn't see anyone.

Thump!

Suddenly, a blunt object struck him on the head. His eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness and collapsed onto the floor. The person who had knocked him out was none other than Celine, who had used a chair to strike him.

She immediately searched the unconscious guard. She stole his dagger and his phone.

Her plan was simple. First, she needed to find out where she was. Then, she needed to contact Lars. She didn't know Lars's number, but she remembered Madam Jenn's number. She could ask her for Lars's number later.

Celine quickly looked left and right through the doorway. The hallway was empty. She tightened her grip around the dagger before quietly stepping outside. Then, she broke into a run.

As she ran through the building, Celine began to notice something strange. The place looked like a large mall, but many parts of it were broken and filled with debris, as if the entire building had been struck by a disaster.

Clink! Clank!

Suddenly, she heard the same sound she had heard countless times while staying here. She followed the sound, moving closer to its source until she reached the end of the hallway. Then she turned the corner before she froze.

An unbelievable sight appeared before her. Part of the building had completely collapsed. The windows were gone, wires hung from the ceiling, and broken bricks covered the floor.

Celine slowly approached the edge and looked downward. She was currently inside a tall building. The sky above was dark and heavy, with rain pouring down and occasional thunder illuminating the surroundings.

And below her...there was a city that looked as though it had been struck by an apocalyptic disaster. Many buildings were only half-standing, while others had been reduced to little more than ruins.

Clink! Clank!

Yet somehow, trains were still operating. Three or four trains could be seen moving rapidly through the ruined city below. It was as if Celine had suddenly stepped into another world.

BANG!

"Urgh!"

Celine suddenly felt a sharp pain in her leg. She stumbled and looked down. Blood was beginning to seep from the wound.

She slowly turned around. Standing at the other end of the hallway was Maria. Her eyes glowed in the darkness as she stared directly at Celine.

"Running away already?"