Chapter 33 : Kid

"So, [World Treasure] contains—uh, I forgot." Alexander replied with a dumb expression.

'I forgot this damn ancestor of mine is an idiot; his memory is terrible,' Van thought.

"Why don't you find out for yourself? Try looking deeper into [World Treasure] like you do with [Inventory Ring]. That's how I did it," Alexander suggested.

Following his ancestor's advice, Van focused on [World Treasure].

After a moment, a large holographic screen appeared around him.

On the holographic screen, countless boxes appeared. Inside these boxes were various items, both useful and useless.

"Has technology developed this fast?" Alexander muttered as he looked at the holographic screens surrounding Van.

Seeing the contents of [World Treasure], Van was so shocked that he was speechless.

'What the hell is all this?!' Van thought in awe.

Inside [World Treasure], there were countless coins—enough to feed a kingdom for millions of years—terrifying weapons that could make even a goblin a ruler of the world, precious potions that defied laws, rare herbs, and much more.

Seeing Van's amazed expression, Alexander immediately boasted, "Impressive, isn't it? This is my lifelong effort to collect them."

Van rolled his eyes upon hearing his shameless ancestor's bragging.

'You stole it from [Demon King Gehenna],' Van thought.

"Don't use those weapons too often. They consume a lot of [Mana]," Alexander advised.

*KLING*

Van saw his body slowly fade into particles of light.

"It seems it's time," Alexander said.

"I see. Nice meeting you, Ancestor Black," Van said before completely disappearing into particles of light.

"Finally, you called me ancestor, you little brat," Alexander said, smiling as he watched Van leave.

- - - - -

Van opened his eyes and realized he was in the middle of a forest.

'Hmmm? My mind feels clearer,' Van thought as he sensed his five senses had sharpened and his thoughts had become incredibly clear.

"Status," Van muttered.

[STATUS]

[Name: Van Black]

[Level: 20]

[Race: Human]

[ATTRIBUTE: Shadow, Void]

[STRENGTH: 750]

[AGILITY: 750]

[DEFENSE: 500]

[MENTAL: 1,000]

[MANA: 100,000/100,000]

[STAT POINT: 0]

[Skills:]

- Villain Aura (Passive)

- 101 Shadows (Active)

- World Treasure (Active)

- Void Eye (Active)

- Super Human (Active)

[Villain Aura : The Master is a villain. The Master will always appear evil. Can trigger emotions from other characters toward the Master. The Master's growth will always develop rapidly]

[101 Shadows : The ability to summon 101 Shadows through the user's shadow]

[World Treasure : The ability to acquire all kinds of treasures]

[Void Eye : Eyes inherited from the Aurelius bloodline. These eyes can cause an object to lose access to [Mana]. Their power can be developed depending on the user]

[Super Human : Uses mana to enhance body performance. Consumes 10 mana/second]

'My mental strength and [Mana] have doubled. Maybe it's the effect of being in the subconscious realm?' Van thought in confusion.

*TING

*TING

Hearing the clash of metal, Van turned and saw Arthur fighting against three members of [Gehenna Cult].

Realizing Van was awake, Arthur shouted, "Master, instead of daydreaming, why don't you help me?!"

'Perfect timing. Since my [Mana] has increased, I can summon up to the 42nd [Shadow],' Van thought.

Van then ran toward the battlefield between Arthur and the [Gehenna Cult] members.

"[Fusion: Namazu]!" Van muttered. His body was slowly enveloped in shadows.

(Note: Namazu is a giant catfish in Japanese mythology believed to cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Source: Wiki.)

As the shadows around him disappeared, Van's appearance remained unchanged, but his aura was completely different.

'Luckily, my [101 Shadows] is modified. Only a few [Shadows] have physical [Fusion] effects on me,' Van thought.

Imagining himself with a catfish face or his body turning into a giant fish, Van suddenly felt a chill.

At that moment, Van felt the space around him like glass that he could shatter at will.

Van then approached one of the [Gehenna Cult] members. Sensing Van's presence, the cult member swung his sword at him. Van's fist met the cultist's sword.

*KRAK

Cracks spread in the air like glass hit by a bullet.

The cult member was thrown backward, both hands shattered into pieces, blood flowing from holes in his body. His fate—whether alive or dead—was unknown.

Seeing their comrade's condition, the remaining two [Gehenna Cult] members suddenly felt fear. They exchanged glances before running away.

Seeing them flee, Van didn't pursue. Who knew what dangers lay ahead? That damn cult was always cunning.

*SLASH

To be sure, Arthur stabbed the wounded cultist's brain and heart.

"Since when did you become this strong, Master?" Arthur asked with a look of disbelief.

"I don't know. Maybe because of my previous battle," Van answered flatly.

"Freaking monster," Arthur muttered.

"By the way, where's my little brother? And why were you fighting them?" Van asked.

"That kid is over there," Arthur replied, pointing in a direction.

Van turned and saw Oliver still unconscious, buried under an old tree.

"As for those Gehenna cultists or whatever they're called, I accidentally found them transporting a carriage filled with caged children," Arthur said, approaching a carriage. Inside, there was a cube-shaped cage made of special metal.

"You care about these kids? That's not like you," Van asked flatly.

"I initially wanted to leave quickly, but those damn cult members also tried to capture us since we're still kids," Arthur answered. "Damn cult pedophiles."

Van ignored Arthur's cursing at [Gehenna Cult] and focused on the children inside the cage.

'They must be the kidnapped children from the attack on the capital,' Van thought.

The kidnapped children ranged in age, from younger to older than him, and included commoners and nobles alike.

Upon seeing Van, the abducted children reacted differently.

"Hey, hide quickly before they come!"

"Please save us!"

"Help me, I want to see my parents!"

"Hey, save me! I am Count Herald's son!"

"So, what are we going to do with them, Master?" Arthur asked while carrying Oliver on his shoulder.

"Take them back to the capital," Van replied. "[Sleipnir]!"

Although slain by Sargan, a [Shadow] was merely an entity created from [Mana]. As long as the user of [101 Shadows] had enough [Mana], they could summon any [Shadow] at will.

Seeing [Sleipnir] appear, the girls were terrified, but the boys were in awe.

After tying up [Sleipnir] with ropes, Van told them, "Hold on tight."

Hearing Van's words, they all looked confused.

[Sleipnir] then dashed forward at the speed of sound. The sudden acceleration flung the unprepared children backward. Fortunately, the carriage was made of strong metal that could withstand their impact.

"AAAAA!" the children's screams echoed through the forest.