Rescue

Thud, thud, thud!

As the two searched the cafeteria, Su Miu soon found a hollow floor tile by tapping on it.

Mo Fan heard the difference too and looked over. They exchanged a glance, then lifted the tile, revealing a pitch-black passage whose bottom was nowhere in sight.

"It was hidden here? Looks man-made."

Mo Fan stared at the passage in surprise. Still, it was clearly man-made-it had even been concealed. Demon beasts couldn't possibly have that kind of intelligence, so a human had to be responsible.

"Yeah. Call the others over. I'll go down and scout first. The victims might be inside."

Su Miu told him to notify the City Demon Hunting Squad, then put on the Night-Vision Goggles and jumped in. Startled by the sight, Mo Fan immediately called out:

"Su! That's way too reckless! Aren't you going to wait for the others?"

But Su Miu didn't even look back. His figure vanished into the dark cave, leaving only a calm reply behind.

"Time waits for no one."

Inside the cave, Su Miu moved swiftly with the Golden Dragon Spear in hand. After jogging roughly two hundred meters, he reached the center of a vast chamber.

Several paths branched off around him. He immediately surveyed his surroundings and counted about eight passages, seven of which bore Giant-Eyed Blood Rat footprints and droppings.

Beside the remaining passage were human footprints and signs of something being dragged. Demon-Beast Repellent Powder had also been scattered over them. Clearly, humans had opened up this passage.

He immediately slipped inside with quiet footsteps. After traveling about a hundred meters, he spotted firelight and took cover.

He crept closer and heard sounds as well: muffled whimpers of women struggling, along with men talking.

"Boss, once we throw them in, we'll get our own Black Beast Demons, right?"

One man spoke excitedly. After all, a Black Beast Demon was far stronger than a Beginner Mage of the same level.

"That's right. This is the Cursed Black Spring the Black Robed Cleric bestowed on us. Just throw the sacrifices in, and they'll turn into Black Beast Demons we can command as we please."

Their leader wore an equally excited grin. They had abducted these students from Mingwen Girls' Middle School and made it look like demon beast attacks, all to create Black Beast Demons.

Su Miu watched from hiding nearby, assessing the enemy at the same time. There were about four of them. He couldn't tell their cultivation levels, but they were only Gray Robes. Their low rank probably meant they weren't particularly strong.

Just as he was considering whether to rescue the captives first or go back for backup, one Gray Robe seized a girl by the hair and dragged her over.

"Boss, let's get started! I can't wait to have my own Black Beast Demon!"

The Gray Robe spoke impatiently. Hearing him, the girl he was dragging struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face. Four other girls huddled in a corner, watching in terror.

But their hands and feet were bound, and their mouths were sealed shut, leaving them unable to speak. Just as the girl was about to be thrown into the Cursed Black Spring, a streak of platinum light shot out of the passage.

"Aaaah! It burns! It burns!"

The platinum light struck the Gray Robe dragging the girl and erupted instantly. Flames spread over his entire body, and the searing agony made him scream.

"Who's there?!"

The other three Gray Robes stared at the scene in shock. Their leader reacted immediately and turned toward the passage, only to see a black-robed figure charging at him with a golden spear.

Shlunk!

The golden dragon spear pierced his body and pinned him to the wall. The leader let out a piercing scream.

"Boss!"

The other two Gray Robes immediately tried to cast magic, but their star orbit formations had barely appeared before Su Miu kicked them into the Cursed Black Spring.

As the two fell into the black spring, a spine-chilling sizzling rose alongside their agonized screams. Even Su Miu felt his scalp prickle. He watched their figures sink beneath the spring, then a pitch-black arm, almost but not quite human, reached out.

"A Black Beast Demon!"

Su Miu was startled. He hadn't expected a Black Beast Demon to be created so quickly. At the same time, the Gray Robe leader raised a hand, clutching a lump of black substance as he shouted furiously:

"Black Beast Demon! Kill him!"

The instant he finished speaking, Su Miu thrust out his arm and seized the hand holding the black substance.

Crack!

A sharp crack of breaking bone rang out, and another piercing scream echoed through the cavern. At the same time, Su Miu pulled out the Golden Dragon Spear, swiftly severed both of the man's hands, and kicked him into the Cursed Black Spring.

Meanwhile, two Black Beast Demons crawled out of the Cursed Black Spring and lunged at Su Miu.

"Glass Flame, Radiance: Purification!"

He immediately raised his hand. A sphere of platinum light struck a Black Beast Demon, and with the Spirit Seed's threefold amplification, the creature vanished in an instant.

The light element had an inherent advantage against cursed creatures like these-unless, of course, the enemy was at a higher level.

The other Black Beast Demon lunged at him with its claws swinging. Su Miu's spear struck like a dragon, piercing its body and pinning it to the ground. He raised his hand again, instantly killing it with another Radiance: Purification.

Having a Spirit Seed's amplification really did feel good. Triple damage-both Black Beast Demons had dissolved into black liquid.

After confirming that the surroundings were safe, Su Miu looked at the Gray Robe convulsing on the ground and asked:

"How many more hideouts like this do you have?"

"W-why the hell should I tell you?"

The Gray Robe was twitching all over from the pain, yet still talked tough. Seeing this, Su Miu immediately raised the Golden Dragon Spear and drove it into the man's foot.

A piercing scream rang out again. Expressionless, Su Miu pulled the spear free, then stabbed it into the other foot.

The excruciating pain left the man's face streaming with tears and snot. Su Miu held up one finger with his other hand and said:

"I'll give you a number. Ten hideouts. Give me the locations of ten hideouts. For every one you're short, this spear goes into you once."

His cold voice and stare were utterly terrifying. The man immediately began begging for his life:

"Spare me! Please, spare me! I only know where five hideouts are! There really aren't any more!"

"Fine. Talk."

Su Miu gave a slight nod, signaling for him to reveal the locations. Desperate to survive, the man divulged them without hesitation.

Once he finished, Su Miu drove the Golden Dragon Spear straight through his head, ending his life.

The man knew too much. He absolutely couldn't be left alive, especially after learning about Su Miu's Innate Spirit Seed and dragon spear.

Su Miu then turned toward the dumbstruck girls. After putting away his dragon spear, he said:

"I'm Master, an Advanced Hunter from the Hunter Association. I'm here to rescue you."

After he untied them, the girls flung themselves into his arms, large tears spilling down their faces.

"Sir Mage, you came to save us!"

"Thank goodness! We're saved!"

Relief at having survived spread across the girls' faces. Su Miu then escorted them out.

P.S. Third update for June 17, bringing the total to six thousand characters.