Chapter Thirty-Seven: Something Seems a Bit Off

"You're lying."

The man spoke with absolute certainty, as if he had seen through Colin's act at a glance.

[You are confused by his words, unable to comprehend how he saw through your disguise, but after pondering, you notice a clue.]

[You realize this man's sense of smell is unusually keen. His breathing was noticeably more frequent than others, and it becomes clear: he must have detected flaws in your arrangements through scent.]

Damn it, is your nose really that sharp?

Colin grumbled inwardly, surprised to be exposed, but remained utterly unshaken.

As the man prepared to speak further, Colin smiled and said,

"Your next words will be: 'The scent of sulfur and gunpowder gives you away. You’re the one who made the explosives.'"

The tall man clad in iron armor, holding a rusty sword, was just about to utter those words when Colin spoke them first. He froze, wanted to respond, but Colin preempted him again: "Your next words will be: 'How did you know?'"

"How did you know..." The man blurted out, then paused, his face flushing with frustration and humiliation.

But at that moment, a cold ice spike suddenly flew toward Colin. The very next second, Shana smashed it apart with her "Sun Bible."

"What do you think you're doing?" The man, armored only from the waist up, glared at the so-called "mage" with annoyance.

"It was this guy who found the saltpeter mine, so what's left to discuss? Look at the size of his team—how could he possibly share with you? Wake up! If he finds the chance, he'll pick us off one by one!"

"In this gray fog, it's kill or be killed. Why would anyone share their spoils?"

"While we're all together, let's take him down. Only then can we form a real group!"

The man in tattered robes, wielding a broken staff, his mental state seemingly unstable, barked his command.

Then, the "mage" looked at Shana, his gaze shamelessly greedy and depraved:

"And that little beauty—what a prize. Don't you all want to have some fun? I promise, once we take him out and seize control of her, everyone gets a share!"

"The mage is right! I've had my eye on that woman for ages! Take down the man and she's ours!" crowed another ally, already standing with the mage.

Their group, five strong, had been united long before encountering Colin, the largest party present, led by the mage.

Hearing their companions’ words, the rest erupted in a chorus.

"Ha! I want to strip her naked and hear how she screams in bed!"

Page (1/3)

"I can't hold back any longer! Let's get them, brothers!"

The armored man frowned deeply, suddenly regretting joining forces with these people.

Beyond their personalities, he noticed their rationality seemed off—something must have happened, making their emotions wildly unstable.

But, as the mage said, Colin had to be controlled; otherwise, no one could stand against him.

As for killing him... he thought it unnecessary.

Meanwhile, the "mage" wasn't in a hurry to act, but puzzled—why hadn't the man who found the saltpeter mine made a move?

Their voices weren't loud, but at only ten meters’ distance, anyone listening closely could hear.

Yet, faced with such vulgarity, the target remained unmoved?

Normally, hearing such filth would drive anyone mad with rage, blood boiling, ready to charge at them.

Something’s not right...

Just then, he noticed the armored man sniffing the air, his expression changing. The mage, confused, inhaled sharply, eyes widening.

"I'm waiting for the explosion. What are you waiting for?"

A cold voice rang out from ahead.

"Get back! Hit the ground now!"

The "mage" halted, shouting to the two survivors who, along with several slaves, were rushing toward Colin. But his words were drowned out by a thunderous blast.

Boom. Boom. Boom—

Three deafening explosions erupted from beneath their feet.

The powerful shockwave scattered them, earth thrown high and falling back like rain.

Those closest to the blasts were knocked flat, their brains buzzing, struggling but unable to rise.

Their sense of balance was shattered by the explosions; for at least ten seconds, they wouldn’t recover.

"Protect me! Protect me!" the unlucky survivors screamed in terror, one even losing a leg to the blast.

But no one paid them any heed.

Before the group had even met, Colin had planted small amounts of explosives in the ground and retreated a safe distance.

Page (2/3)

He deliberately stood within a certain range so their attention would fall first on him, not on the ground’s hidden traces.

In fact, the keen-nosed man had smelled gunpowder in the earth, not on the people ten meters away.

With the gray mist providing natural cover, it wasn’t until the barrels of explosives were about to blow that they realized the danger.

But by then, it was too late!

Their already loose alliance was shattered in an instant, some even considering escape.

"Despicable! No honor! A sneak attack!" someone cursed angrily.

Little did they know, Colin’s intention had been to scatter them with explosives and pick them off one by one. Unexpectedly...

They ended up standing right atop the barrels.

Though not quite as he’d planned, the results were even better.

"Holy Light’s Protection!"

Shana murmured softly, and in a flash, everyone within a certain radius was enveloped in a sacred halo.

This dawn-like radiance would linger on Colin and his allies for nearly three minutes, reducing at least half of any damage they suffered.

Yet, casting for so many at once, Shana’s face grew weary, her already scarce magic nearly depleted.

"That woman’s a healer! I’ll deal with her, you go after the survivors! Catch the leader first!"

The "mage" saw through everything!

He launched himself at Shana, his mysterious "Broken Staff" summoning an ice spike to attack her.

Three hits, and she’d be frozen solid.

But what he didn’t expect was that the healer...

After shielding her teammates, she gazed at him coldly, then charged straight at him!

She charged...

Page (3/3)