I Can Get 1,000,000x Returns from Selling Anything!-Chapter 21 --Altar of the Dark God

Boom!

Rumbling violently...!

In a flash faster than the ear could catch, Daniel obliterated every low-level monster into scraps, feeling a rush of satisfaction as he approached the town’s central square.

The mist here was even thicker than at the outskirts, pressing down like a dark, suffocating blanket. Visibility was barely ten meters.

The outlines of buildings loomed faintly in the fog, like dormant beasts waiting to strike.

The air was thick with the stench of decay and sulfur, making Daniel’s stomach churn.

Beneath his feet, the ground was cracked in a web-like pattern, black viscous liquid oozing from the fissures, bubbling with a gurgling sound.

The streams of this liquid converged, flowing in a single direction—toward the center of the square.

There, a massive altar had been constructed.

Black monoliths were arranged in a circle, each stone engraved with twisted runes that faintly glowed dark red.

At the center of the altar, a gaping chasm split the ground, from which black mist surged continuously, writhing as if alive.

Around the altar stood a dozen or so figures, clad in black robes and wearing grotesque masks.

The masks bore twisted faces, the eyeholes appearing as nothing but two dark voids, seemingly capable of swallowing the soul.

[Cultist · LV50 (Iron-Grade Monster)] (Iron-grade = Elite-grade)

They were performing some kind of ritual, gesticulating wildly, muttering incantations under their breath.

The whispers overlapped into a chorus, as though countless voices murmured directly into Daniel’s ears.

Without hesitation, Daniel nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

Explosive Rain of Arrows!

Swish! Swish! Swish...!

A torrent of arrows descended from the sky, covering the entire altar.

The cultists felt a sudden chill above their heads, and when they looked up, a sky full of glowing points rained down like a shower of light.

"Could it be... the Dark God has heard our call?"

One cultist cried in ecstatic joy, arms raised to the sky.

"No... no, this is an attack!"

The lead cultist shouted in panic, but it was already too late.

Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...

Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom...!

The earth shook and mountains quivered; dust and smoke roiled everywhere!

The black stones of the altar shattered into fragments. The cultists barely had time to scream before they were swallowed by the flames of the explosion.

The iron-grade monsters, frozen in shock, were reduced to fragments under the barrage.

As the smoke gradually cleared, Daniel sheathed his bow and stepped toward the ruined altar.

Severed limbs littered the ground, black blood seeping into the cracked earth.

The cultists’ masks lay broken in pieces, revealing the twisted faces beneath.

Some were young, some lined with age, yet all shared the same final expression: madness, fanaticism, and a hint of bizarre release.

Daniel crouched and used the tip of his arrow to pull aside the robe of one corpse.

A twisted sigil was etched onto its chest—a downward-facing eye encircled by tentacle-like lines.

His pupils contracted slightly.

He had seen this symbol before.

During his fourth reincarnation, he had encountered similar tattoos on the bodies of fallen aberrant races.

Though the details differed, the twisted style and the innate sense of unease it inspired were unmistakable.

Daniel rose and scanned his surroundings.

The altar, the chasm, the black mist, the cultists...

These deformed creatures reminded him of the Beast-Turned he had seen in Windmill Town.

Could all of this be connected to that underground church?

Fragments of memories from his previous four lives flickered rapidly through his mind.

In his first life, he focused solely on leveling, indifferent to the world, knowing only that monsters existed to be slain for experience.

In his second, he vowed to defeat the Dark God and save all beings, delving into hidden quests and gradually realizing that Stellar’s worldview was far more complex than it appeared.

Magic, gods, the Dark God, racial wars, and countless hidden conspiracies—all interwoven.

In his third life, he joined a major guild, gaining access to secret intelligence: the existence of parallel world wars, humans clashing across worlds, and the ever-looming threat of the Dark God over humanity.

By his fourth life, he had reached unparalleled heights, yet could only watch as the Dark God descended, seeing the alien races submit or be slain, witnessing humanity’s banners burn to ashes.

How had those corrupted goblins, beastfolk, and seafarers fallen under the Dark God’s control?

Daniel’s gaze landed on the black mist swirling above the altar’s chasm.

In Windmill Town, the Anti-Holy Grail of the Dark God had infected the miners, spreading throughout the town.

Here, the cultists performed rituals to summon the Dark God’s Strength, birthing deformed monsters.

Both phenomena seemed to stem from the same source.

The Dark God’s Strength could infect living beings and corrupt the mind.

In Windmill Town, the miners were passively infected; these cultists, however, had approached it willingly.

Daniel frowned.

Who were these people? Why did they worship the Dark God?

For Strength? Immortality? Or had they been simply bewitched?

Was there a greater organization behind them?

Memories from his previous lives began to assemble.

He recalled tales of how, before descending, the Dark God sent emissaries to various worlds to spread faith, cultivate followers, and build altars.

These disciples would attempt to tear the world’s barriers, paving the way for the Dark God’s arrival.

And this altar, this chasm, this black mist...

Wasn’t it doing exactly that—ripping the barriers apart?

Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

If so, the cultists’ purpose was clear.

Even as mere projections, if left unchecked, any corner of this world could become a stronghold of the Dark God.

Then, it wouldn’t just be small-scale transformations like Beastification; it would be a full-scale...

Roar!

Ho-ho!

At that moment, deep, guttural howls erupted from the chasm, snapping Daniel out of his thoughts.

The black mist began to surge violently, boiling like a cauldron of water.

"Heh-heh... ke-ke-ke-ke..."

A grating voice echoed from the depths, carrying a subtle psychic assault that made Daniel’s vision waver.

He stepped back instinctively, nocking an arrow in readiness.

A massive figure slowly rose from the chasm.

First, Daniel saw a cluster of eyes.

The enormous head was bald, covered with dozens of eyes crowded together, each rotating to survey all directions.

Within each pupil was a reflection of a different scene—burning villages, crying children, mountains of corpses.

The pale human face was almost entirely consumed by eyes, leaving only a mouth that remained normal.

Its grin stretched to the ears, revealing jagged black teeth, emitting a horrifying, otherworldly laughter.

[Dark Acolyte · LV55 (Blackgold-Grade Boss)]