Chapter 176: The Western Anchor Town [GOLDEN TICKET BONUS]

Cain took out a portion of the purified Blood Crystals and distributed them among the group.

"Absorb them in two batches."

He glanced toward the northern road.

"Half of you remain ready for combat while the others focus on your Cores. Switch afterward."

Nobody questioned the order.

The reinforcement force had arrived while Cain was preparing to purify the resources.

There was no guarantee another group could not appear while everyone was occupied.

The first batch sat down and began absorbing the purified Blood Crystals.

Crimson energy gradually left the crystals and entered their bodies.

Most of it was drawn directly toward their Mana Cores.

Cain remained nearby while finishing his food.

One Blood Crystal after another lost its light before turning dull and crumbling into powder.

Once the first group finished, the others took their place.

The process continued smoothly.

Approximately ten minutes later, Professor Irina slowly opened her eyes, her attention immediately turned inward.

The changes within her Mana Core were unmistakable as the energy circulation had become perfectly stable.

The internal structure no longer showed any flaws.

The Perfected Stage.

A translucent notification appeared in front of her.

Professor Irina read the information carefully.

A short distance away, Cole received his own notification soon afterward.

Cain noticed both of them fall silent.

"Advancement Missions?"

Professor Irina looked toward him.

"Yes."

Cain raised an eyebrow.

"What are the requirements?"

She focused on the notification again before answering.

"I need to kill 25 beings between Level 45 and Level 50."

Cain’s gaze sharpened slightly.

"Does it require you to kill them alone?"

"No."

Professor Irina shook her head.

"It only requires me to participate in their deaths. Assistance is allowed."

Cain nodded in satisfaction, since that made the mission considerably easier.

Cole suddenly spoke from beside them.

"Mine is the same."

Professor Irina turned toward him.

"The same requirement?"

"Yes."

Cole looked at the screen in front of him once more.

"25 beings between Level 45 and Level 50. It doesn’t restrict how they’re killed as long as I’m the one who killed it."

Cain smiled faintly.

"Good."

Professor Irina looked toward the destroyed town around them.

"It sounds simple when you say it like that."

"We’re inside a Zombie Race military corridor."

Cain finished the remaining sandwich and stored the wrapper.

"There should be plenty of enemies around that Level wherever we go next."

Cole’s expression became relaxed.

Cain looked between the two of them.

"I’ll help you complete the missions while we move."

Professor Irina nodded.

"Then we’ll focus on finding suitable targets."

"Yup." Cain nodded and stood before brushing the dust from his pants.

There was no reason to remain in the Southern Anchor Town any longer as the resources had been purified and everyone had their Mana Core reaching the Perfected Stage.

Professor Irina and Cole now had clear Advancement Missions that could be completed along the way.

Cain opened his Inventory.

A folded map appeared in his hand.

The Southern Anchor had already collapsed.

Heavenly Demon had destroyed the Eastern Anchor around the same time.

Only the Western and Northern Anchors remained.

Cain unfolded the map and studied the routes connecting the different regions of the Invasion Corridor.

He had no way to contact Heavenly Demon directly, but the man had already proven that his group moved quickly enough to keep pace with Cain’s own forces.

There was little reason for both sides to converge on the same remaining Anchor.

Cain traced one route with his finger.

"He should be heading north."

Nathan stepped closer and glanced at the map.

"So we’re going to head West, right?

"Yup." Cain nodded.

Ron shifted the spear resting against his shoulder.

"What happens after that?"

Cain folded the map.

"After we destroy the Western Anchor Gate, we’ll wait until the Heavenly Demon destroys the Northern Anchor Gate so that the entire Anchor Network will collapse."

His gaze moved toward the central region marked farther ahead.

"Then we go straight for the World Gate Core."

That was the real objective.

Destroying it would sever the Zombie Race’s invasion attempt.

It would also finally allow Cain to complete his Advancement Mission.

He stored the map and gathered the remaining food back into his Inventory.

The others began preparing to move.

Their break had not been particularly long, but it had been enough for everyone to recover most of their condition.

Cain looked toward the western road.

"Let’s go."

The group left the ruined Southern Anchor Town behind.

They moved much faster than before.

The map showed several routes connecting the regional territories without forcing them to approach the central base, allowing Cain to lead everyone west while avoiding unnecessary detours.

The terrain gradually changed around them as the tall dark ridges surrounding the southern region became lower as the road widened across stretches of cracked black-gray earth.

Dimensional distortions occasionally flickered far from the road, bending the distant landscape for several seconds before disappearing.

The group kept moving at a fast speed.

Approximately ten minutes later, Cain slowed down as he could see a fortified settlement had appeared beyond the uneven terrain ahead.

High walls surrounded the area. Watchtowers rose above them, overlooking clusters of military buildings packed around a raised structure farther inside.

Cain recognized the arrangement immediately as it was their objective—The Western Anchor Town.

The group continued approaching.

A muffled explosion reached them.

Another followed from deeper inside the settlement, then came the unmistakable sound of weapons colliding and Mana surged beyond the walls.

A fight had obviously broken inside.

Cain’s expression became more interesting.

"We’re late."

The group accelerated.

When they reached the settlement, they found that part of the outer wall had already collapsed inward.

Broken stone covered the ground around a massive breach near the main entrance.

Cain entered through it and immediately saw the battle taking place beyond.

Zombie Race soldiers filled several roads.

Human fighters had already pushed deep into the settlement and were clashing with them across the surrounding streets.

Cain’s attention was drawn upward as he noticed that there were more than a dozen swords hovered above the battlefield.