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304 lines
6.8 KiB
Markdown
304 lines
6.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Chapter 307: Replacing Slaughter with Infernal Energy"
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slug: "ch-307"
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novel: "Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100"
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number: 307
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views: 0
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likes: 0
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wordCount: 1103
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createdAt: "2026-04-13"
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---
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Max watched the group in silence.
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He saw the restlessness building.
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The red-haired genius, in particular, was growing edgy.
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The kind of edginess that didn't come from fear—but from wanting to be seen.
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Then—
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The silence finally snapped.
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Six days of uneventful walking, of mist and stone and nothing else—
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And the red-haired genius couldn't take it anymore.
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His voice rose, loud and impatient.
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"I say that we can go faster! There's nothing here but fog and rocks!"
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He threw up his arms, exasperated, stepping forward in frustration.
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"We're crawling at a snail's pace—hundreds of miles per day? That's nothing! If I could fly, we'd be done in hours!"
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His words were sharp, childish, and they echoed off the stone around them like the rant of a restless child.
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"We've walked this far and haven't even seen a single damn thing! What kind of evil are you even afraid of?!"
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Some of the other geniuses shifted uneasily.
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A few looked away.
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But none said anything.
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Not yet.
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The air changed.
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Without a word, Old Man Grey stopped walking.
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Slow.
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Deliberate.
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Then—his head turned.
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His body remained still, but his face snapped toward the red-haired youth with unnatural precision—
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Like a beast who'd just been provoked.
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His gaze?
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Ice cold. Piercing. Ancient.
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The red-haired genius froze.
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His mouth stayed open, mid-breath, but no more words came.
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Old Man Grey's voice cut through the fog.
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"The dangers of the Mourning Depths are not as simple as you think they are."
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He didn't shout.
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He didn't need to.
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His voice held the kind of weight that made bones ache.
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"You should already be glad you're still breathing."
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The words hit harder than a slap.
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"So shut your damn trap."
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A heavy pause.
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"Once we arrive within 1500 miles, my role is done. At that point, do whatever you like. Fly, crawl, scream. Hell, jump into the Mourning Depths itself for all I care."
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But the red-haired genius—he didn't back down.
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Not completely.
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His pride flared like a torch in a storm.
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His eyes narrowed, voice raising once more—this time with anger.
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"How interesting!"
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He stepped forward, crossing his arms, not even trying to mask the venom in his tone.
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"Why do we even need you to guide us, huh?"
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His gaze locked onto Old Man Grey like a challenge.
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"Why do you so-called 'supervisors' come with us at all?"
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"To monitor us? To make sure we don't find anything valuable without giving you your share?"
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Now the others were listening.
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Some silently nodded.
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Others looked uncomfortable.
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But no one interrupted.
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The red-haired youth kept going, his arrogance boiling over.
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"Or maybe you're afraid we'll kill each other or is there something else you aren't telling us?"
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His words dripped with sarcasm, with disrespect.
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"With you leading the way, who's to say you aren't pocketing the treasures before we even see them?"
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He pointed at the empty road ahead.
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"We haven't seen a single thing! If something actually does show up, I bet you'd be the first to run and leave us behind!"
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And then—
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The final insult.
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"We came here for lucky chances, not to babysit some tired old man and act as cannon fodder for his convenience!"
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Old Man Grey's expression turned black as ash.
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His gaze locked onto the red-haired youth—stone-cold. Unforgiving. Done.
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Then, his voice—flat and thunderous—
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"If you're not willing to follow me… then f*ck off."
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No pretense.
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No explanation.
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Just raw dismissal.
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The silence that followed was deafening.
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The red-haired youth stiffened for a moment.
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Then, he snorted loudly, trying to save face.
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"Hmph! Who's afraid of you, old man?"
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He turned, raising his voice.
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"Let's go! Come on, everyone! We don't need him!"
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His shout echoed across the dead terrain.
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Strong. Bold. Demanding.
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But—
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No one moved.
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Not a single footstep.
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Not a single nod.
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Not even a glance of support.
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The fog pressed in around them, silent and suffocating.
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The other geniuses… just stood where they were.
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Some lowered their gazes.
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Some looked away.
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Max folded his arms, quietly amused.
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'What a clown.'
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Because everyone knew the truth.
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Old Man Grey wasn't just a guide.
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He was a lifeline.
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Leaving him behind now, here—this far into the Mourning Depths—was the same as signing a death warrant.
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Yes, it meant giving up on a few scattered lucky chances… but they hadn't come here for scraps.
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Their real goal was the 1,500-mile radius zone.
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That was where the real opportunities lay.
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That was where Bone Frames, Infernal Demon Tattoos, and real fortune existed.
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Out here in the outer 8,500 miles?
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There was nothing.
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So even if Old Man Grey kept every single treasure they passed—no one cared.
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They were here to survive.
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To reach the inner zone.
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The red-haired youth?
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He didn't understand the difference between pride and stupidity.
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While others grew restless—
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While tempers flared and egos cracked beneath the weight of silence and boredom—
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Max remained indifferent.
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He didn't spare the red-haired fool another glance.
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Didn't comment.
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Didn't react.
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Because for Max, this journey wasn't just a march through the fog.
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It was training.
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Over the past six days, he had been refining a technique in silence.
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Each night.
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Each resting hour.
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While others slept or whispered or schemed—
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Max sat cross-legged and drew circles of lightning with his will.
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Not just lightning for the sake of destruction.
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But lightning given form. Meaning. Purpose.
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The Lightning Wheel of Samsara.
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A technique of his own making, born from fragments of something far darker.
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Something ancient.
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The Evil Wheel of Samsara.
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What he practiced now was only a poor replica.
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A weak shadow of the original technique—
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One that was rooted not in lightning, but in slaughter itself.
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The true Evil Wheel of Samsara required more than power.
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It demanded an understanding of killing.
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A soul that had tasted blood, embraced the cycle of destruction, and danced at the edge of life and death.
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A Slaughter Concept.
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And Max… wasn't there yet.
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Not fully.
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His current Lightning Wheel was nothing more than a child's drawing next to the true thing.
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But he was getting closer.
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And now, deep inside the Mourning Depths—
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Max found himself surrounded by dense infernal energy, an atmosphere saturated with death, violence, and twisted will.
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It was nearly identical to the aura required to awaken the original technique.
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It wasn't the same…
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But it was close.
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His lightning was already reacting strangely.
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Arcs flared faster.
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The wheel spun smoother.
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It carried a faint pulse of something beyond electricity.
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Something darker.
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And Max?
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He didn't resist it.
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Didn't reject it.
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He leaned into it—willing to test the limits. |