When the plot-skips players into the game world

If everything goes smoothly, it would be best to finish it with one shot. That way, it will look more like the work of a killer skilled in the art of curses, and it won't be easy to investigate them.

And these demons they brought were only for countering any potential hidden ambushers, helpers, or bodyguards.

What a pity.

The leader thought.

This time, after all, was an away fight, and he couldn't use many of the ritual tools he had prepared. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so cautious.

For example, the "Cursed Infant" made from a baby killed by a curse could deliver a sure-hit, powerful strike capable of directly destroying another's heart; the "Nightmare Illusion" made from the scalp of someone suffering from migraines could cause a person to experience uncontrollable, intense pain and go mad; the "Rigor Mortis Lure" made from the body of a hanged elderly person could make everyone around feel chilled to the bone, slowing their movements more and more...

These were consumable items that allowed him to kill other Path Transcendents above his level.

But because they all had to be preserved under specific conditions, they couldn't be used in this kind of surprise combat.

Or, it was precisely because he couldn't use these ritual tools he depended on that the leader was so cautious.

Because once one gets used to the tremendous power gained from using materials made from one's own kind, it feels extremely uncomfortable to be without them. It feels like suddenly becoming weak... even if this "feeling of weakness" is actually one's true level.

While the thief-turned-Braden was prying the lock, Jim, who was looking around, suddenly pointed to the sky, "What's that, fireflies?"

"That's probably some kind of butterfly."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Fat Pero, with his arms crossed, commented, "What a pity, it would have been nice if we had brought a net. It looks like it could be worth a lot."

"Jim, focus..."

The leader said with annoyance.

But just then, as he raised his head unconsciously, he suddenly saw that butterfly lazily flying towards them.

It was so beautiful, trailing sparks behind it as it fluttered.

Like scales of a fish.

Yet the leader suddenly lifted his right hand, pointing at the butterfly with his index finger.

He didn't utter a word, nor did he expend any mana. That spark-like beautiful butterfly was as if pierced by some dark invisible force, split in two, and extinguished instantaneously.

He revealed a pleased and satisfied smile.

Not because the butterfly had any significance, but purely because he destroyed something beautiful and took pleasure in it.

"The instructor's curse is really powerful..."

Jim flattered.

Pero shook his head with a tinge of regret, "It looked like it could have been valuable, you didn't need to curse it to death."

"What kind of valuable thing could a butterfly flying in the city be?"

The leader retorted, "At best it's just something that escaped from a school laboratory... That also means it can't be sold. Just curse it to death and be done with it."

Pointing fingers at people is the simplest curse.

Sometimes when someone points at you from behind, you feel a certain sharpness; it feels the same as being pointed at with the tip of a knife.

And the third Path trait that the leader possessed, "Damage Curse," was an extremely powerful purple Path trait.

He could make all the curses he cast carry physical damage—that was also why he had his apprentices curse the targets. Because if he were to arrange the Sleep Curse himself, it would become a Nightmare Curse instead, which would be more likely to wake others; if he used a Poison Food Curse, in addition to the corrosive damage, it could also bring a continuous weak slicing injury to the esophagus; and if using the Blood Contamination Curse, it would cause the other party's womb to bleed continuously.

He even just needed to casually point, and the target would feel as if they were pricked by a small knife, bleeding profusely.

The damage was not very high. A healthy ordinary person would have to be pointed at by him forty or fifty times before dying of blood loss.

He had tested this number himself.

The leader killed quite a few people with curses in Lohar District when he first acquired this Path trait, distilling the rules of this Path trait from the experience.

He could only see the unintelligible phrase, "Damage Curse: All curses can harm." To know its specific effects, one had to experiment on their own.

But this wasn't too troublesome for him.

It was like a child getting a new toy—what new effects would the curses he was familiar with produce once they had this attribute attached? He was curious about this and conducted experiments accordingly.

It was exactly this reckless spirit, taking pleasure in injuring others with Transcendent powers, that enabled him to successfully summon and tame the Blade Demon.

Just then, the leader's peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimmer of firelight.

In the pitch-black night, it was strikingly bright.

He turned around and discovered it was indeed a ball of fire in the sky—the butterfly he had shattered earlier had resurrected from the flames close to them after falling!

As the butterfly slowly flew towards Jim, and Jim stretched out his hand curiously to catch it.

The leader's expression suddenly changed; he felt a strong sense of crisis. He leaped forward, rolling awkwardly to the side.

Fat Pero, who also sensed something was wrong, was too obese and clumsy. He tried to escape but failed.

The moment Jim touched the butterfly, a blazing inferno burst forth from its center, spreading in all directions and forming a huge fireball with a radius of about three meters.

The fireball didn't explode but spun continuously, engulfing Jim and Pero within it, pulling at them and making it difficult for them to escape. Their agonizing screams pierced through the flames and rose up into the silent night.

"—What the hell is this?!"

The leader's face instantly turned pale.

The next moment, a Demon Dog and the Whiplash Demon's bodies became blurry, visibly collapsing and disintegrating at a rate detectable by the naked eye—this was the expulsion phenomenon caused by the death of a Contractor.

In just a brief encounter, Jim and Pero were devoured by the flames. Jim was one thing, but Pero, at Energy Level Three, should not have died in such an inexplicable manner—he was killed by Jim!

Only he who had dodged the butterfly and Braden, who was busy picking locks, were spared.

Just then, a butterfly identical to the previous one was flying towards him.

This time, the leader didn't hesitate. He condensed a dark Magic Orb radiating a chilling aura and launched it straight away.

It shattered the butterfly once again...

But this time the leader saw it clearly. After the butterfly was shattered, it rapidly resurrected from the flames. And when the leader used a different Spell to shatter it again, it resurrected yet again.

What on earth was this thing?!

The leader grew exceedingly wary. He had never heard of such an ability.

"It's open, it's open!"

Braden shouted joyfully, pulling open the door.

"Get inside and hide!"

The leader said without hesitation.

But the next moment, Braden let out a cry of alarm and ran out, tumbling and rolling.

As gunshots rang out, he was hit in the shin, collapsing to the ground with a scream of agony.

As the door opened.

Aiwass, supposed to be in Sleep, emerged with a dangerous smile on his lips.

His left hand was behind his back, while his right hand was bent naturally in front of him. A butterfly composed of flames quietly perched on the tip of his middle finger.

"Welcome, guests..."

Aiwass said with a smile, "Now that you're here, why don't you stay awhile?"