CHAPTER 216: SUBJUGATION QUEST [2] FIXED

Gabriel’s expression didn’t change when he saw Andrew. He simply returned his focus to the quest board, acting as if no one was standing beside him.

"Do you need a partner? Even for someone with your strength, a subjugation mission might be pretty difficult," Andrew said, stepping closer.

Gabriel didn’t reply. The elite section was only reserved for those who were part of the elite squad.

For Andrew to be here, it could only mean one thing—he had joined the guild, passed the assessment, and entered the elite squad directly.

"I don’t need your help," Gabriel finally said as he walked past.

Andrew stood still, watching the towering frame pass through the door. A sharp gleam flashed across his eyes. Pulling out a comlink, he muttered, "Getting him to go on a mission is harder than I thought... We need to think of another approach."

After accepting the quest, Gabriel hopped into his Kelsa truck, using the autopilot to navigate toward the Leo District.

The drive wasn’t long. On arrival, he stepped out near the northern end of Leo District, where the old sewer access grates were barely noticed.

His elegant nose twisted at the smell of damp metal and refuse; even from street level he could catch the foul stench below.

The street was mostly deserted after sunset. Gabriel calmly approached a steel grate stamped with the Leo District insignia.

By the time he reached the steel gate entrance, two guards were already stationed there. They looked tense and held swords in hand.

"You must be Sir Gabriel," one of them said, recognizing him instantly. "The guild warned us someone was coming. We’ve already lost three men down there... if you can really clear it, the district will owe you."

Gabriel simply nodded and ordered in an authoritative, firm voice, "Open the gate."

He was handed a flashlight and walked past the gates.

The first level of the sewer stank of old waste. Water trickled down the walls, greenish and luminescent in places where mold or broken pipes had leaked strange chemicals.

His boots splashed as he explored the corridors.

Sensing his presence, small vermin-like creatures scrambled away, squeaking as he approached with the torch.

"Found you." His electric gaze flashed as he spotted a couple of monsters.

The beasts were small rats with glistening eyes and patches of fungus on their fur. They looked sickly and mutated, but hardly a threat.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned three dark flame orbs in his off-hand, casting shadows on the sewage walls.

The rats froze at the magic, then tried to escape in a panic.

Gabriel flicked his fingers. The orb shot forward, roaring. It hit the first rat and burst into flame, engulfing it. The others scattered, but some were caught in the expanding inferno. One rat’s squeak was cut short as it turned to ash.

"Gross," Gabriel spat, though his tone was more bored than disgusted. The rats had barely made a sound in the flames. He grinned slightly. "That’s a nice start."

As he headed deeper into the tunnel, he made out the outline of a far larger creature: a huge, mutated rat the size of a dog, with big claws and red eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of dark flames launched toward the creature like cannon blasts. They smashed into the giant rat with a flash, the beast shrieking as the fire eagerly devoured it.

When the smoke cleared, the monster was nothing but a pile of smoking fur and charred bones.

Out of habit, Gabriel had charged the dark flame orb mode, which was why it was so effective.

"Talk about overkill, but I’ll take it."

He advanced deeper into the sewer. Each corridor seemed as empty as the last, save for occasional crawling insects and more small rats. The dark flame orb acted almost like a flashlight, burning away obstacles in his path. He rarely bothered looking around corners – these creatures never had much strategy beyond rushing at the light – but he proceeded cautiously anyway.

He passed through a crossing where another tunnel branched off to the left. A low growl emanated from it, echoing softly.

Gabriel paused, listening. The sound was deep and guttural. Not a rat, but something more dangerous. Still, he needed to eliminate the infestation. Possibly that sound was part of it.

A few paces in, the tunnel opened into a larger chamber. The walls were lined with rusted pipes and dripping sludge. In the shadows, several glinting red eyes appeared.

Slowly, they all emerged one after another.

These were at least the size of boars, each easily double the size of the giant he’d just killed. One had a spiky growth protruding from its head.

BANG! Kicking the ground fiercely, they lunged at him with inhuman strength.

Gabriel quickly summoned Crimson Judgement and slashed violently, cleaving one rat in two with a single strike.

Before he could steady himself, two more charged together. He was faster—he didn’t want to make contact with the beasts, so he vaulted backward as another overcharged flaming orb crashed down onto one of them, blasting a crater in the floor.

Boom!

The remaining rat barreled toward him. Gabriel swung his greatsword, the monster tried to parry, but in the end its claws were cleanly cut off.

The beast flinched back, trying to nurse its injury. Gabriel appeared right behind it and his blade flashed downward, splitting the monster in two halves.

After extracting the corpse, which granted him +2 Strength, he moved on deeper into the sewer maze. The tunnel beyond the chamber stretched downward. The pipes along the walls were broken here and there, and the water level was rising.

Gabriel frowned. Was there geothermal activity here? Or was it waste runoff? It didn’t matter much—he kept advancing in short, steady steps.

Moments later, the tunnel floor ended at a crossroads, the path open in three directions. To the left, the tunnel was blockaded with large metal grates. To the right, the passage curved up slightly. Straight ahead, a broken wall with crumbled bricks revealed a dark hole beyond.

"Now which way do I choose?" He pondered with a thoughtful look on his face.