*Knock*
Inside the Management Room, a knock sounded on the door.
"Did that guy come back?" One of the staff stood up and used his card to open the room.
The Team Leader, who had just left a few minutes ago, was assumed to have returned.
The thought of an enemy knocking on the room didn't even cross their minds considering that Louis Rothschild himself had gone to catch the intruders.
< Access Permitted >
The door soon opened, and the staff member turned to go back to his seat.
But he stopped, dropped the card in his hand, and looked down to see a black blade protruding from his chest.
Drop!
"WHAT?!" A man shouted as he saw a masked man come inside the room while their colleague was killed in front of their eyes.
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
Asher ignored the notification as he looked at the C Rank Hunter, staring his way in disbelief.
"Damn it, kill him," the man in the suit shouted as several staff members stood up to attack Asher.
However, most of them were D Rank Hunters, and almost all of them couldn't even channel their mana properly. Moreover, unlike the A Rank hunters, the side effects of the drug in the air were much worse for them.
It wasn't difficult for Asher to fight multiple weakened D Rank Hunters.
But he wanted to avoid any possibility of damaging the management room with any random attacks.
'Mir Steps,' Asher used his movement technique.
With a burst of mana, he dashed away from the hunters and reached the mage, who had just stood up and was chanting a spell.
'Swift Strike,' His sword moved, forming an arc around the mage's neck.
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
"Die," One of them swung a spear at Asher, but he was too slow.
Asher sidestepped and raised his leg to lock the spear on the ground. The hunter looked at him in horror as he saw the black sword drive into his throat, killing him.
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
"Go together!" The man in the suit shouted, but the space around them wasn't enough.
Asher was more agile than them, and their surroundings made it harder for them to attack together.
But two of them pulled out their daggers as they approached Asher, who looked at them and backstepped to dodge the first attack.
Then he dashed forward, breaking the second man's attack.
He slashed his sword through the second man's chest, rotated his body, and thrust the sword into the first man's heart.
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
Seeing their comrades die at the hands of Asher, they rushed at him in the heat of the moment, but it was a futile struggle.
Asher used his movement technique, disappeared from his spot, and appeared in the middle of the people rushing at him.
He could see multiple nodes through his eyes, and his sword flowed through them, killing multiple D Rank Hunters simultaneously.
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
"Dammit, move," The man in the suit brought out a strange claw-type weapon and rushed toward Asher.
He pushed the man, who was too scared to move right now.
He dashed towards Asher, striking down with his weapon. However, Asher sidestepped and dodged the attack. Asher raised his sword, but the C Rank Hunter backstepped, realizing the masked man before him was dangerous.
He charged once again, this time utilizing the scant amount of aura he could muster.
His expression altered as he saw Asher directly block his weapon with his sword.
*Clang*
The man tried his best to overpower Asher, but Asher swung his sword in a circular motion, the blade grazing the edge of his throat, killing him shortly after the attack.
[ Host has gained 5000 EXP ]
"You," Asher raised his sword towards the other man in the room.
"Ah," The man tried to speak but found no words.
Fear had seized his mind, and he could not formulate a response.
"Sit and open your Security System," Asher commanded.
The man hesitated momentarily, but understanding his imminent death, he followed Asher's orders.
"Open it," Asher repeated.
The man promptly opened the Security System while Asher surveyed the various permissions.
"Move," Asher commanded, and the man shifted behind him.
Asher started fiddling with the settings, aiming to allow Tom the chance to take over the system.
He was absorbing all the information he saw, using it to break the security system.
The man standing behind Asher could understand his intent. However, he knew that even if he aided Asher, he might still die at the hands of Louis Rothschild.
This realization made him shudder, his hands shaking.
Seeing Asher's exposed back, he thought he might defeat Asher, believing that Asher had dropped his guard. Consequently, the man summoned his sword.
Just as he was about to close in on Asher, he saw a black blade lunging toward his chest, impaling his heart.
"How?..." The man collapsed.
[ Host has gained 500 EXP ]
He did not know that Asher's sword art permitted him to attack from and at any angle from his initial position.
"Let's disable this first," Asher declared.
It didn't take him long to locate the control of the Jamming Device, which he then disabled.
<Boss, can you hear me?>
Tom inquired, sensing that his connection with Asher and Kai had been re-established.
"Yes, what else do you need to take over this floor?" Asher queried.
<You should find a data piece connected to the main system in the middle somewhere.><Just remove it, and I can do the rest quickly.>
Asher rose from his seat and moved towards where the C Rank Hunter had been standing. Just by observing his surroundings, he was able to discern the location of the Data Piece and retrieve it.
He removed the data piece and stored it in his spatial ring.
<It will take 2 minutes to take over the Fourth Level>
"When will the Metal Cage break?" Asher asked,
Before going forward with his plan, Asher wanted to know how long they could hold Louis Rothschild there.
Tom relayed information about the damage the metal cage had sustained thus far.
Inside the Metal Cage,
Louis observed various spots he had pounded, his patience waning.
He intensified the mana in his fists, striking the metal cage again. His mana clashed with the barrier, and intense sparks could be seen. Every single impact of his fist made a loud sound.
*BAM*
<Cage Integrity: 58%>
His fists relentlessly hammered the metal cage surrounding him. Louis did not pause, knowing that the intruders' chances of escape were increasing. Even though he had already dispatched his team of hunters to the First Level, he was desperate to break free from the metal cage.
*BAM*
<Cage Integrity: 53%>
Tom watched as the damage figures rapidly decreased, Louis Rothschild nearing the moment when the Metal Cage would fail.
<Cage Integrity: 48%>
<Cage Integrity: 44%>
"We need more time, damn it," Tom exclaimed, monitoring the health.
<Cage Integrity: 41%>
Taking over the Fourth Level would take him approximately 2 minutes, but he predicted that Louis Rothschild would escape the Metal Cage in less than a minute.
Currently, he was accessing the cameras on the Fourth Level and saw Kai struggling somewhat with an A Rank Hunter.
Aware of Kai's situation, Tom opened his communication line to Dane.
"You're finished, right?" He queried Dane.
<...Yeah>
Tom heard the scream of a man in the background as Dane replied.
"Proceed to the Fourth Level," Tom instructed.
