Magic Stone Island.
A spring evening.
The sea breeze blew in from the dock.
It seemed to carry the scent of a virus.
The plague, and even more terrifying than the plague, the fear, anxiety, and despair, was spreading wildly across the island.
The once bustling commercial district near the dock.
Now, it had been overrun by a group of cultists.
The cultists, clad in black cloaks and wearing rat-head masks, claimed to be followers of Squark, the "God of Plague."
They held high torches and led the parade.
Behind each cultist, followed a large group of ragged, sickly-looking men and women.
They were all residents of the island, mostly miners or fishermen.
Since the outbreak of the plague, the locals had been plunged into panic.
They saw entire families succumbing to the disease.
They saw bodies strewn in the streets, uncollected. Order on Magic Stone Island was crumbling.
At this moment, followers of the Beast Cult stepped forward.
They claimed that their deity, Squark, a rat-headed deity with a human body, held the power over plague.
He could spread the plague, killing blasphemers and heretics, but he could also retract it, freeing people from suffering.
This rumor quickly spread throughout Magic Stone Island.
The people were skeptical.
The Beast Cult quickly issued a new proclamation.
Those eager for healing could take to the streets this evening to participate in a grand sacrifice dedicated to the Plague God.
During the sacrifice, anyone who converted to the Beast Cult and pledged their faith to Squark, the Plague God,
would receive a free cure for the plague!
Half-believing and half-doubting, figuring they had nothing to lose, people took to the streets at the appointed time to join in the fun.
A massive parade.
Easily incited by the cultists.
Crowds streamed from every neighborhood.
Following the streets, they converged towards the harbor's central square.
Like countless streams, flowing into the sea.
In the center of the square, a pile of pyres had already been built.
Atop the pile, a stake was erected.
A bloodstained, haggard man and woman lay bound to the stake.
Both were no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.
The emblems on their uniforms indicated that they were both students at the Warlock Academy.
A month ago, the Warlock Academy had dispatched a team, including them, to the island to investigate the plague outbreak and suppress the cultists.
Sadly, their mission had failed. The Beast Cult's influence on the island was far greater than they had imagined.
The two sorcerers leading the group were defeated and captured.
The rest of the group were killed.
The two captives had been kept alive until now to serve as tonight's sacrifice.
The cult leader ascended the pulpit.
Raising his arms high, he passionately chanted a prayer in praise of the "Plague God," Squark.
The remaining cultists surrounded the platform.
Every time the leader's prayer concluded,
they also raised their arms and enthusiastically chanted:
"All glory to our Lord Squark!"
The people in the surrounding square were unconsciously infected by the fervent religious atmosphere.
Instinctively, they also raised their arms and joined in praising the Plague God.
A trace of invisible faith and willpower. It was gathering and forming above the people's heads.
It slowly drifted high into the sky, passing over the square.
It penetrated houses and walls...
It converged on a rat-headed statue hidden in an underground temple.
The statue was a symbol of the gods in the mortal world.
It also served as a vehicle for receiving the power of faith.
The faith gathered in the statue was absorbed by the corresponding deity, serving as nourishment for its own growth.
The prayer ceremony reached its climax.
The cult leader held up a wooden statue of a rat-headed god.
He prayed loudly, "Lord Squark! Please bestow your grace, remove the suffering, and glorify your people!"
There were two types of statues.
The one in the cult leader's hand, used for public display, was just an ordinary wooden sculpture.
The one hidden in the underground temple was the true sacred artifact!
The difference between the two.
It was like a fake painting for public display compared to an authentic masterpiece, one that shouldn't be shown to the public.
Ordinary people couldn't discern these details.
At the sight of the statue, a commotion erupted.
A frantic scramble ensued towards the pulpit.
Others, carrying stretchers, also pressed forward.
At the same time, the cult leader spread his arms.
A golden halo erupted from him.
Instantly, it spread to a ten-meter radius!
This was "divine grace descending upon the world"!
This was "the guiding power of God"!
Those illuminated by this golden divine light, simply by sincerely praising the Plague God Squark, would share in the divine grace.
Their own plague infection was instantly purged!
Even the critically ill patients, lying on stretchers, near death, miraculously recovered after being bathed in the divine light.
They climbed from their stretchers and knelt on the ground, filled with gratitude.
They joined the ranks of those enthusiastically praising the Plague God.
And just like that, they were transformed from nonbelievers into Plague God believers.
Having witnessed the miracle firsthand, the people no longer had any doubts.
The Beast Cult's missionary ceremony tonight was about to conclude!
The Plague God, Squark, was no benevolent deity.
His grace, of course, was not free.
In return for the miracle that had befallen the world tonight,
The believers must perform a sacrifice to please their idol.
Two large barrels of lamp oil were poured onto the dry pyre.
The sacrifices for the stake were already ready.
All that remained was the lighting of the fire. The cult leader lit the torch himself.
"My Lord! Please enjoy the offerings of your humble followers!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he threw the torch with all his might.
The torch traced a parabola through the air and fell towards the pyre.
Just then, a burst of energy suddenly shot out from the side!
Bang!
The "Finger Wave" struck the torch, sending it flying.
The torch landed in the square, bounced twice, and went out.
The crowd in the square erupted in an uproar!
"Who is it?!"
The cult leader turned and glared at the source of the energy.
His gaze fell on a tall cultist.
As he watched in astonishment,
the man removed his rat mask and cloak, revealing his true face.
It was a young man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a sturdy build.
Around the sturdy young man were four other people who had infiltrated the place disguised as cultists.
At this moment, they all removed their masks, discarding their disguises.
They were all young men and women of extraordinary bearing, all dressed in the uniforms of the Warlock Academy.
"Damn it! Another bunch of bastards sent by the Warlock Academy!"
The cult leader gnashed his teeth.
"Kill them!"
With a single command, the cultists collectively transformed!
Half maintained their human form, their skin sprouting gray bristles, their heads resembling rats.
Sharp teeth, shifty eyebrows, and flickering gazes.
Another half of the cultists transformed even more completely.
Completely abandoning their human identities, they crept onto the ground, their bodies twisting and twisting. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into ferocious, meter-long rats! A giant rat, more ferocious than a hungry wolf, bared its massive fangs and squeaked as it lunged at Alan and the others.
The ratmen hid behind the giant rats and fired crossbows.
Two transformations, close combat and ranged attacks, worked in perfect harmony.
Miss Pamela, the blonde and blue-eyed leader of the five-member investigation team, a Level 2 Early Stage Storm Warlock, commanded with a deep voice.
"Be careful!"
"Don't let any cultists escape!"
A thick fog formed around Pamela.
Her slender figure vanished into the mist.
The ratmen crossbowmen aiming at Pamela were stunned.
The thick fog obscured their vision.
Should they shoot or not?
The three giant rats charging at Pamela were also blinded by the fog. Relying solely on their keen sense of smell, they could sniff out prey in the dense fog.
Swish!
A sudden flash of silver lightning flashed from the depths of the fog.
A rapier, wrapped in a serpent of electricity, pierced the giant rat's throat.
"Squeak!"
The giant rat kicked its legs and screamed.
Pamela, trapped in the fog, calmly drew her sword and retreated.
Her beautiful, imposing blue eyes gleamed with a cruel gleam.
The "Storm Warlock," upon awakening their bloodline, automatically gained "Mist Vision," their vision unimpeded by smoke or fog.
Pamela possessed a tremendous visual advantage in the battlefield she created with her "Hidden Mist."
It was practically one-way invisibility.
Pamela wore a mithril chainmail shirt that accentuated her figure.
She wielded a magical rapier with an electric shock effect.
The giant rat, struck in the vitals by her, convulsed and died.
Two more giant rats lingered in the thick fog.
Hearing their companion's screams, they followed the scent of blood.
Pamela, too lazy to play hide-and-seek with them, charged forward with her sword.
Two against one.
The cultists, transformed into giant rats, felt they had a significant advantage!
The two rats twitched their whiskers, winked at each other, and squeaked.
Communicating through this special language, they were safe from Pamela's ears.
"Brothers, attack together!"
"Attack from both sides!"
"Bite the blonde to death!"
Pamela sneered silently.
She thrust her sword at the giant rat charging from her right.
Before the sword's tip even touched the giant rat, it suddenly vibrated and lashed out with a golden sword energy.
Boom!
The sword energy slashed the giant rat, erupting with a roar!
The giant rat seemed struck by lightning, shattered instantly, its flesh and blood splattering all over the ground.
A 1st-level sonic spell, also a 1st-level martial art—Thunder Slash!
The other giant rat flanking Pamela was stunned by the sudden thunderclap, momentarily at a loss.
Pamela calmly raised her left hand, grasping the giant rat from a meter away.
Golden lightning flashed from her slender, white fingers.
With a crackling sound, five arcs of electricity emanated from her fingertips, forming a giant golden claw that fiercely grasped the giant rat's head.
1st-level spell—Electric Claw! The giant rat, struck by the high-voltage shock, convulsed and foamed at the mouth before it could even scream.
Five deep burn marks remained on the corpse's head.
Clang!
Pamela sheathed her sword.
She turned and walked to another part of the battlefield, continuing to hunt the cultists.
Wherever her footsteps led, the mist surrounding her followed in sync.
A thick fog perpetually filled the area seven meters around her.