I became the king of villains in the game

Chen Lun cursed inwardly, then spent more stamina to use the skill again.

His stamina immediately dropped below half. He felt as though he had fought three fierce battles in a row, his whole body drained and his legs trembling.

[You used the skill [Animal Mimicry LV1] and learned the corresponding trait from the target.]

[Burrowing]

You learned to dig and burrow with exceptional proficiency, allowing you to excavate tunnels through the ground or mountainsides for passage or concealment in a short time.

Heave-ho... at last!

Chen Lun suppressed his delight and gently stroked the pangolin's little head with a finger to encourage it.

Monk Will watched from the side without blinking, but he could not figure out what Chen Lun was doing.

From his perspective, Chen Lun was simply grinning stupidly at that idiotic pangolin before giving it a creepy little stroke.

With that, Chen Lun had accomplished everything he had planned for the day.

He intended to slip away now that the deed was done, seeking neither credit nor fame.

Well, then come back tomorrow.

Chen Lun knew Will probably would not be satisfied if things ended just like that, so he decided to throw out something mysterious to keep him hooked and let him puzzle over it at his leisure.

"The earth... the boundless earth... the original sin of greed..."

Looking at the pangolin in his hands, Chen Lun thought fast and recalled a mysterious sequence pathway whose [Sequence 9: Tomb Raider] seemed to fit somewhat.

So he pulled some bullshit out of thin air and spat out a few words.

Then he let out a cry and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Will immediately wore an expression that said he understood none of it but was deeply impressed.

"The [Earth Faction]'s transcendent sequence pathway... the original sin of greed... could he mean those people from the History and Ritual Society...?"

Will racked his brains. A flash of inspiration struck, and his expression gradually grew solemn.

Combining the bad news he had recently received from other churches with the scattered clues, he immediately pieced the fragments together and found a clear lead.

"No, this information is too important. I must pass it on to the bishop immediately."

Will casually told Froy to take Chen Lun away, then hurried off, preoccupied.

Once his footsteps had faded into the distance.

"You can get up now."

Froy crouched down and prompted him softly.

Chen Lun did not move.

Froy frowned slightly and poked Chen Lun's body with a finger.

Still no movement.

"..."

"Did he really faint?"

Froy glanced back at the basement entrance and found no guards nearby.

She lowered her head again to study the young man before her. His slightly curly black hair was rather long, falling messily across his face.

Perhaps because he had bathed, he looked very clean.

She had never had a chance to look closely before, but she had to admit he was handsome.

The young man suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze flicked toward Froy first, then swept over their surroundings.

He scrambled nimbly to his feet and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"All right, let's go."

Froy froze for a moment, then smiled silently.

"Okay."

Just as they were about to leave the basement, she suddenly turned to Chen Lun and said:

"Father Carter will be back soon... if you really intend to take me away, please hurry."

"He's a Transcendent too, and he's powerful...

I once saw him effortlessly kill a band of twenty robbers all by himself."

Chen Lun stopped.

The priest?

He had already learned where he was from Froy.

Jadeite Town, a remote town in the eastern Trisoul Empire. This priest was in charge of the local branch of the Red Apple Church.

In other words, the boss.

But even in a small place like this, it was still the Red Apple Church, a major power that had run rampant throughout the empire in version 1.0 of the game.

This priest was not to be underestimated.

"Got it. Don't worry, I'm almost ready."

Late one night, two days later.

Chen Lun's cell was utterly quiet.

Strangely, however, there was no one inside, only large black rats that occasionally emerged from beneath the straw piled in a corner.

With tiny stones and bits of dirt held in their mouths and little paws, the rats slipped briskly out of the cell.

They were extremely cautious, stopping occasionally to listen and sniff. They moved only when no guards were watching, vanishing who knew where in the blink of an eye.

But after a while, they would return, repeating the process over and over.

Suddenly, the straw pile bulged. After shaking twice, it was gently pushed aside, and a filthy hand emerged from underneath.

Chen Lun's sweat-drenched head followed close behind.

He climbed unhurriedly out of the ground, then carefully covered the opening with straw again.

The entire process was smooth and almost silent.

Chen Lun plopped down on the floor and let out a long breath.

He scattered the breadcrumbs he had prepared, and the large black rats swarmed over, happily departing with the rewards for their labor.

"After two days and nights of tireless work, I finally dug my way out..."

Chen Lun wiped away his sweat and smiled. Grabbing a handful of clean straw to wipe his hands, he thought to himself.

To avoid drawing the church's attention, he could only dig when the guards were slacking off.

Those opportunities mostly came in the evening and late at night, since Mustache always egged the others on to go drinking and carousing with him.

Few people remained in the nearby cells, and the church had not sent anyone new here for a long time.

Chen Lun was thankful the place was so empty, which reduced the chances of discovery.

But to improve his odds of escape, he had deliberately extended the tunnel so he would not be caught the moment he emerged, which had cost him some extra time.

"Tomorrow, I'll finish the Beast Tamer's Handbook. Everything will be ready!"

"Just watch me fucking wreck you...!"

Chapter 10: Don't expect to get out alive

Late at night.

At the westernmost edge of Jadeite Town stood a tall, solemn Gothic building. Two angels were carved in relief on the outer wall of its spire.

The angels held baskets brimming with red apples from a bountiful harvest, flanking a goddess whose face could not be made out.

An elderly man with brown hair and a deep red robe walked slowly down the desolate street.

A golden apple pendant hung against his chest, and he held a thick volume of scripture in his hands.

The old man finally stopped at the church entrance.

"The moon has so many followers. Surely a few going missing won't matter..."

He chuckled and took a glass vial the size of a little finger from inside his robe. It was roughly two-thirds full of blood.

The blood churned gently inside the vial, releasing bubbles that glowed faintly.

"I hope it enjoys this delicacy."

The old man climbed the steps and strode into the church.

Smack, smack, smack!!

Early the next morning, Chen Lun was slapped awake by Monk Will.

Well, he had actually been awake for a while, but he had to see the act through. It was the last day, after all; he could hardly give up halfway.

Still, Chen Lun was not about to take a beating for nothing. He added another entry for Monk Will in his little mental ledger.

"You lazy pig! Get up! It's time to carry out your great work!"

Looking at the witless young man, Monk Will gave him another two kicks in disgust.

"Let's go."

He straightened his robe and left the cell with his head held high and his chest puffed out.

Froy pressed her lips together and glanced at Chen Lun, then followed closely behind, maintaining her cold expression.

Tweet!

Mustache blew his whistle. Wearing a foolish grin, Chen Lun obediently walked out.

As everyone entered Basement No. 7 again, Chen Lun suddenly felt a little reluctant to leave it behind.