Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 133: Getting inside

Reeva stood in front of one of the entrances to the underground cult hideout. It appeared to be an ordinary office building with no employees, yet it was well-maintained and regularly used by the cult.

Beside Reeva were his crew, Hilda, Theia, Leon, and one extra mercenary. Leon was acting as their guide, leading them into the depths of the cult’s lair.

The previous day, Leon had contacted Landlong, asking for permission to use the picture to convert Theia and Hilda to their side. Of course, Reeva had no intention of letting that happen since he didn’t have the power to save them from the void entity.

Instead, the plan was for Reeva or Leon to jump in before they were converted and use his mystic power to overload the painting, shattering it into pieces.

Hopefully, the plan will work. They also had a mercenary following them discreetly, acting as a backup signal. If anything went wrong, the mercenary would go an signal the rest of the group to invade the place.

The mercenaries were numerous and skilled in combat and teamwork. They were often hired for escorting small merchants or guarding noble households, hoping to be employed permanently and leave behind their mercenary status.

Many knights began as mercenaries. They were also useful when one did not want to be directly associated with certain activities. Hinly had not been fully convinced to lend his entire force due to the risk of being targeted by the church or pressured by the cult if the raid failed.

Reeva understood the risks but still wished for more people on his side. It was only a week before the Reeva Burger Shop was set to open as a full restaurant. He hoped he would live to see that day.

"It’s about time," Leon said in a low voice, a hint of nervousness detectable.

That feeling was mutual. Reeva and the rest of the group were on edge after hearing Leon’s words. Blindfolds were put on to give the appearance of following standard procedure — only those who had already been converted were allowed to see the cult’s operations.

With their preparations complete, Leon led Reeva, Hilda, and Theia inside, walking through the same stone hallway they had passed before. They moved past other cult members, who glanced at them but seemed uninterested. It wasn’t uncommon for newly converted members to bring family and friends for initiation, so it didn’t appear suspicious for Reeva to be bringing others with him.

Entering the underground complex was not difficult. They arrived at one of the rooms used for conversions and removed their blindfolds.

"I’m going to get the painting," Leon said.

With everyone inside the room, Leon had permission to bring the picture there. However, he first needed to go through a certain procedure. He walked out, leaving Reeva, Theia, Hilda, and the mercenary behind. Reeva then took out the other three blindfold.

"Is this really a cult?" the mercenary asked, running his hand along the cold stone wall.

"Yep, not what you imagined?" Reeva replied.

"I thought it would look a lot more ominous than this."

"An underground tunnel isn’t ominous enough for you?" Theia asked, curious as to why the place didn’t seem so bad in the mercenary’s eyes. To her, it felt like a prison.

"I’ve seen worse, like a battlefield. The smell of blood alone is more depressing than this," the mercenary said, glancing at the door. It had a peephole that didn’t close, so anyone could peek inside at any time.

The oil lamp flickered in the tunnel, casting dancing shadows on the walls. Footsteps echoed in the distance, growing louder. The mercenary readied his weapon, prepared to strike at anyone who approached. Theia and Hilda also drew their weapons.

The footsteps multiplied, more than one person approaching. Reeva could sense that something was off.

------

Meanwhile, Leon had arrived at the room where the cult kept the painting. It was the office of a high-ranking official, always staffed, no matter how late it was.

Leon peered through the peephole and saw one person inside. Thankfully, it wasn’t Landlong, but another high-ranking member named Lola. From what Leon knew, Lola had been a cult member longer than Landlong, possibly one of the first to come into contact with the being.

"Hello, I’m here to fetch our lord. We have three lambs in need of saving," Leon said, peering through the peephole like he used to. Lola looked up and smiled.

"Come in," Lola said, gesturing for Leon to enter.

Leon stepped inside, and Lola, looking very pleased, greeted him.

"You’ve changed, Leon."

"I’m honored that you remember me, sir," Leon replied, bowing to Lola. However, there was no emotion behind it.

"I remember everyone, Leon," Lola said, his voice growing more serious with each word. "Do you want the painting?"

"Yes, sir. I brought in three people to convert," Leon answered.

"I’m glad you’re doing your job," Lola replied, his smile widening. "But sadly, you’ve been led astray."

"!?"

Leon reacted instantly, dashing back just as the office desk flew toward him with lightning speed. He narrowly avoided being caught in the impact. The desk hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

A second later, Lola closed the distance between them with a swift kick, sending Leon flying. The merchant’s unassuming demeanor had been a perfect disguise. Leon had assumed he wasn’t a fighter — and he was clearly wrong.

"Tell me, Leon, have we treated you poorly?" Lola asked.

"No, you didn’t treat me at all. You just used me," Leon replied, thinking back to his time with the cult.

"If that’s how you see it, then so be it," Lola said, his tone cold. "Come."

Leon activates his mystic power and unsheaths the dagger that he is hiding under his coat. Then he imbues it with his own mystic power making it harder and sharper. His ice power is one of the rare mystic powers that let him imbue normal items with some mystic.

He throws it at Lola who’s more than ready for such an attack.

His hand extends out and grabs the knife from mid-air, and then it loses all of its mystic properties. At that moment Leon knew that this fight is not favorable for him.