Chapter 298: The Farmer and the Power Thief (V)
On the other side of the farmland stood a slaughterhouse shack.
Three figures crept along its outer wall.
"So we didn't hear wrong… there really are two Scavengers here," said a limping man in a low voice.
"How is that even possible?! We're finished this time…" another man with glasses trembled.
"Let's go. Whoever they're chasing out there is already dead," the nun among them urged.
From afar came sharp, drifting shrieks—impossible to pinpoint. The uncertainty made it even more suffocating.
The limping man clenched his fist. "We need to go."
"Are you insane?!"
Both of his companions stared at him.
"It's already the third day. Not a single generator has been activated. If this continues, everyone dies," he said. "And what's happening ahead… might be our chance."
"Being chased by two Scavengers is a chance?" the man with glasses asked incredulously.
The limping man shook his head. "I've seen this before—in another region."
That caught their attention.
"We were following an archbishop back then. He had already activated two generators. Just as we were heading for the last one… two Scavengers appeared."
He looked at them. "The situation got messy—but in the end, we escaped."
"The archbishop concluded that when Scavengers are at a disadvantage… something like this can happen."
The man with glasses hesitated. "But we've already been hooked twice. If we get caught again—"
"As long as we're careful. And right now, someone else is drawing their attention," the limping man insisted.
Eventually, the other two relented. The trio moved forward again.
Thump. Thump.
With every step, the pounding in their ears intensified.
The dim moonlight barely lit the muddy ground. Endless corn stalks twisted their sense of direction.
And worst of all—the ever-shifting shrieks, as if the monsters could appear beside them at any moment.
"If we find those people and cooperate… maybe we can get out…" the limping man muttered, steadying his breath.
Then, after another shriek—
The heartbeat surged violently.
A glaring red glow spread across the ground.
Slowly, the three raised their heads.
All they saw… was a blood-soaked blade.
"AAAAAH—!"
___
Gideon snapped his head up, locking onto the direction of the scream.
"That's far… Austin's group?"
After confirming the butcher wasn't nearby, he stood again.
Earlier, while Luen lured the monsters away, Gideon had seized the chance to pull Vera off the hook.
Now she was in terrible shape—clothes torn, wounds everywhere, barely conscious.
"Sa… save… Luen… please…" she clutched his arm weakly.
"Relax. He got himself hooked on purpose. He won't die anytime soon," Gideon said.
"Cough—"
She spat blood immediately. The reassurance clearly had the opposite effect.
"Father Gideon?"
Two figures emerged from the corn—it was Austin and another survivor.
Both looked battered. Austin had a deep shoulder wound; the other man limped from a leg injury.
"You found a relic?" Austin asked, surprised.
Gideon quickly explained the effect of [Bondmate].
"A third-tier ability?!" Austin's eyes widened.
"Third-tier?" Gideon asked.
Austin explained.
Relic abilities were ranked by quality:
Relics under 20 years produced yellow marks—first-tier abilities. Unique, but weak or short-lived.
Relics between 20 and 50 years gave green marks—second-tier, more practical.
Anything above 50 years yielded purple marks—third-tier abilities like Gideon's.
"These are the only ones that can truly trouble the Scavengers," Austin said. "And they're extremely rare."
Gideon nodded. "In the end, all of this is about escaping."
"Exactly. Luen can hold on a bit longer—we need to save Dylan first," Austin agreed.
"But your injuries…" Gideon glanced at them.
"Not a problem."
Austin pulled out a med kit and wrapped his wound. Astonishingly, it healed almost instantly.
"This place's rules," he explained. "Medical supplies from chests can restore injuries quickly."
Gideon exhaled slowly. The more he learned, the more artificial this world felt—like it was designed for this "game."
More survivors soon regrouped. Lynn was among them, already recovered from minor injuries.
"To save Dylan and Luen, someone has to lure both Scavengers away…" Austin said, scanning the group.
Silence followed.
Everyone understood the risk.
"I'll do it," Gideon said.
"I'm the only one who hasn't been hooked yet. And I have experience dealing with them."
Austin looked moved. "You've thought this through?"
"Start moving. They won't last long," Gideon replied calmly.
Relief quietly spread among the others.
After finalizing the plan, Gideon slipped out.
Austin handed him a flashlight. "This can blind them briefly."
Gideon scanned the area. The nurse wasn't nearby.
He headed toward Dylan first.
Meanwhile—
Luen hung on the hook, gasping, blood dripping beneath him.
"One's wandering… two just watching… can't they do something useful…?"
He muttered, trying to distract himself from the pain.
"…Gideon's the only reliable one…"
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
His heart skipped.
"I'm… leaving my body again?!"
Looking down, he saw his spirit form.
This had happened before—but always attracted evil spirits.
Just as panic set in—
A whisper echoed.
"Come to me."
Elsewhere—
Dylan struggled violently, gripping a black, spider-like spike protruding from his chest.
If he let go, it would pierce through him—and drag his soul into the vortex above.
The butcher stood before him, unmoving.
"So… this is it…"
Dylan's vision filled with despair.
"Vini…"
Unseen, Gideon had already crept close.
"The harvester here counts as special terrain… escape route confirmed…"
He moved.
Step by step.
The heartbeat thundered in his ears—but his mind stayed steady.
Finally, he reached the butcher's back.
He glanced at its waist… then flicked on the flashlight.
Dylan's eyes lit up—but that movement alerted the butcher.
At that exact moment—
A blinding beam struck.
The butcher groaned, raising its arm to shield its eyes.
Gideon didn't retreat.
Instead, he reached toward its waist.
Sticky. Cold. Revolting.
Then—
He grabbed something.
"Got it."
An amulet.
Golden light shimmered from it—power exceeding a hundred-year relic.
Earlier, when activating [Preacher], Gideon had seen it—
That unmistakable golden signature.
"A relic… hidden on the monster itself."
He narrowed his eyes.
"What a twisted design."
The very key to escape… carried by the thing trying to kill them.
"Now that I have it… the plan can change."
He flashed the light again—then pointed straight at the butcher.
And ran.
The chainsaw roared behind him.
The hunt… began again.
The roar of the chainsaw rose behind him.
Moments later, Gideon passed a haystack—and ran straight into the nurse gripping a man by the throat.
The man's eyes had rolled back, his glasses fallen to the ground. He had clearly been dead for some time.
Two more corpses lay nearby, equally lifeless.
Gideon frowned.
Austin had mentioned this before—if someone had already been hooked twice, then the next time they were downed, the Scavenger could execute them outright.
No chance of rescue. Their soul would be consumed on the spot.
"Looks like that's what happened to these three…"
Gideon's gaze darkened. Still, he casually flicked his flashlight at the creature.
Click.
The nurse snapped her head toward him, crimson eyes locking onto his.
Gideon didn't waste the opening. He raised a finger and pointed straight at her.
A moment later, a piercing shriek tore through the night.
The instant he heard it, Gideon changed direction.
Right on cue, a black shadow sliced past where he had been.
He shifted direction again. And again.
Three times in total—Vini's lesson still fresh in his mind.
The shadow followed, dashing three times in pursuit.
Finally, a bloodstained blade slammed into a rock, and the nurse froze briefly in place.
"So that's the rule of her ability."
Gideon only spared a glance before moving again.
The first time he encountered her, she had already flashed past him—that's when he noticed something off.
"This teleport-like ability only works in straight lines. Changing direction requires a reset… and it can only be used three times in succession."
He pieced together the pattern as he ran.
Soon, the shriek sounded again—and the chainsaw roared behind it.
Two overlapping heartbeats pounded in his ears. Even Gideon felt the pressure.
But his destination was close.
He scanned the area. Aside from the generator sparking with electricity, the glowing yellow silhouettes had disappeared.
Austin's group must have rescued Luen.
Thump. Thump.
In just a few seconds, the cornfield was once again stained with ominous red light.
No time to hesitate.
Gideon rushed to the generator.
As he inserted the relic into the slot, he caught sight of the butcher's mask—and the nurse, now reduced to a rushing shadow.
Click—clack.
With a crisp series of mechanical sounds, all four bulbs atop the generator lit up instantly.
A blade and a chainsaw struck the spot where he had just been—
—but Gideon had already withdrawn, slipping into the cornfield.
He didn't wait for a new token to drop.
Austin had said it clearly—once a generator was permanently activated, no more "abilities" would appear. Instead, a different kind of reward replaced them.
Gideon looked around.
Now, through his vision, the entire environment was composed of spiritual threads.
Behind him, two masses of darkness pulsed with malevolent energy.
Farther away, faint humanoid outlines—also made of spiritual threads—moved through obstacles, fully visible.
This was the power of [Preacher].
"When a hundred-year relic is used, your power is restored permanently—until you leave this region."
His eyes gleamed.
For most clergy, regaining power meant everything.
But Gideon possessed too many abilities. Even a hundred-year relic only allowed him to choose one.
Under pressure, he had chosen the most versatile one—[Preacher].
And even so, its utility far surpassed the others.
He looked into the distance.
To him now, this entire region held no secrets.
Buried relics shone like scattered stars.
Most were low quality.
Only four reached the hundred-year level.
Two were far away. One lay buried underground nearby.
And the closest one…
…was on the nurse.
He also spotted the locations of the remaining generators. One stood near the exit gate.
Gideon glanced back.
A plan formed instantly.
As the shriek rang out once more—
he charged straight toward the shadow.
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