The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 49: Killer Black Widow, Breaking Through Stage 3
Early morning light filtered through cracks in the cave ceiling.
Allen woke up slowly. Lilia was nestled against him, completely naked, clinging to him with a look of deep satisfaction. A faint smile still lingered on her lips.
Didn’t they say women feel uncomfortable the first time? How is it that this girl seemed so starved for it?
Allen couldn’t help but think back to the wild night before. He had pushed himself to the limit just to make her beg for mercy...
If it had gone on any longer, he wasn’t sure he could have held back. But the results were huge. His Art of Immortality proficiency had jumped by over a hundred thousand points, now sitting at more than 300,000.
"Mmm..."
A soft moan escaped Lilia’s lips. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"You... you’re awake so fast?"
She noticed Allen staring straight at her, her cheeks flushing red. She instinctively snuggled deeper into his embrace.
Feeling the smooth, soft warmth of her body against his, Allen felt his desire ignite all over again.
Moans and soft cries echoed through the cave once more.
They stayed together until the sun was high in the sky before finally leaving the cave, both feeling completely satisfied.
Lilia scanned the area cautiously. Seeing no sign of Theron, she finally let out a relieved sigh.
It looked like the day of flying had successfully thrown the old man off their trail.
"Let’s go hunt some monsters to level up," Allen said. He sent a party invite and started moving while scouting for targets.
Traces of monster battles were still visible in the dense forest: splatters of blood and torn limbs of defeated creatures.
They didn’t dare let their guard down. They were deep in the wilds now, in territory completely owned by monsters. Anything could be out there, even Stage 6 monsters.
Allen was stronger than before, but he still wasn’t sure he could take on a Stage 6 monster.
However, with Lilia around, they could always fly into the air if trouble came, giving them a good escape route from most threats.
They moved through the trees, constantly running into powerful monsters.
They faced a Stage 4 Moonhowl Demon Wolf and a Stage 5 Dark Treant.
At one point, they even ran into a Stage 6 Earthrage Bear. Luckily, the bear was clumsy and slow, so they easily flew away before it could catch them.
[Killed Stage 5 Level 7 Dark Treant. EXP +185]
[Level Up! Increased four basic stats by 30 points each and gained 8 free stat points]
[Current Level reached Stage 2 Level 10. Advanced Quest triggered]
[Kill 20 monsters of Stage 3 or higher to advance to Stage 3. Complete this quest to keep leveling up]
Allen easily defeated another Dark Treant as the notification flashed on his screen.
"We finally hit Stage 2 Level 10," he said, letting out a sigh of relief.
After wandering through the dense forest for three days and killing monsters well above their level for an experience boost, they had finally made it.
"Lilia, what’s your level?" Allen asked, looking at her as she cleaned up the battlefield.
Lilia checked her stats and replied, "Stage 2 Level 8. I’ll be Level 9 soon."
"Before dark tonight, I’ll get you to Stage 2 Level 10," Allen said, eyeing a winding mountain range in the distance.
Beyond that mountain lay Ironridge. The monsters there would be much weaker.
They continued moving through the forest, hunting for any monsters above Stage 3.
[Killed Stage 4 Level 6 Ironclad Demon Wolf. Advanced Quest Progress: 1/20]
...
Notifications kept popping up as Allen took down one powerful monster after another.
"Allen, do you smell that blood?"
Lilia sniffed the air and pointed toward the deep woods.
"Monsters?" Allen became alert, curious.
"No," Lilia frowned in disgust. "I feel a light presence."
"Church of Light?" Allen asked, intrigued. "Let’s go check it out."
"Over here." Lilia confirmed their direction and led the way.
Allen caught the scent of blood too. They pushed through the dense forest and saw the gruesome scene, their brows knitting together in disgust.
A dozen bodies lay scattered haphazardly among the trees. Their faces were a bruised black, their skin rotting with acid burns, emitting a terrible stench. They had died in agony.
These were all Bright Knights from the Church of Light. Black blood still trickled from their wounds. They had all been poisoned, and they hadn’t been dead long.
"Who could be this cruel?" Lilia shivered, a chill running down her spine. She hated the Church of Light, but seeing the terrible state of these bodies, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.
"Who is there?"
Suddenly, Allen roared, drawing his Saber and spinning around to face the shadows.
A hooded old man slowly stepped out.
"It’s you!?" Allen cried out in shock. It was Theron. "Old man, how did you find us?"
Theron smirked. "You thought flying would lose me? When it comes to sensing nature, no one beats me—not even the Elves."
Ignoring the stunned Allen and Lilia, Theron began examining the dead Bright Knights.
"Old man, we didn’t kill these guys."
Lilia said quickly. Having seen his power, she feared he would blame them and spoke up to clear the misunderstanding.
"I know," Theron said flatly, inspecting the bodies. "The killer isn’t gone yet. Come out."
Allen and Lilia exchanged a confused look, their eyes darting around, ready for a fight.
"Heh." A woman’s soft laughter suddenly echoed from the nearby bushes. A figure slowly emerged from the undergrowth.
Allen was stunned. He started to believe Theron’s words. Someone had been hiding right here, and neither he nor Lilia had noticed.
Allen studied the stranger carefully. She was wrapped in a long black robe, her face hidden except for her eyes. She wore black silk gloves that covered her hands completely.
"To think you could sense me. No wonder you’re an Ascetic of the Church of Light," the woman said, her voice icy and her gaze chilling.
Theron ignored her and turned his gaze to Allen and Lilia. "This woman is Black Widow, ranked 95th on the Killer List. Be careful."
Before Allen could even react, Theron formed himself into a ball and burrowed back into the ground, disappearing in an instant.
"Are you kidding? You’re running away?"
Allen was dumbfounded, though a sense of danger crept over him.
He could feel this woman was at Stage 3. Yet, a rank on the Killer List was one thing, but forcing Theron to flee? That was not simple at all.
"Madam, please don’t misunderstand. We aren’t with the Church of Light," Allen said, flashing a friendly smile to explain.
"Hmph. Do you think I’d believe that?" The woman scoffed. Her gaze shifted to Lilia. "This red-haired devil doesn’t look like Church of Light trash either."
"Hey!" Lilia snapped, angry. "What kind of wretched monster hiding in the dark do you think you’re insulting?"
"Heh." The woman’s laugh was cold and chilling. "Whether you’re Church of Light scum or not, anyone who steps foot here today must die."
She suddenly raised her hand, and a small black sphere shot forward with a sharp whistling sound.
"Careful!"
Allen reacted instantly, jumping in front of Lilia. He swung his Saber down hard, smashing the sphere.
Crack!
The sphere shattered, releasing a thick green fog. The air filled with a pungent, choking stench.
Poison!
Allen’s face shifted as his lifespan drained away rapidly.
The Art of Immortality kicked into high gear, its cycle accelerating as it worked to neutralize the deadly toxin.
Meanwhile, Lilia was in much worse shape. She had inhaled the mist, and her face instantly turned a bruised black. Her lips turned dark, exactly like the dead Bright Knights.
This girl couldn’t withstand such a potent poison.
Allen grabbed her and pulled her out of the fogged area. He then sliced his own wrist, pressing his bleeding arm to her lips. Blood flowed into her mouth.
His blood was rich with powerful life energy; it might be the only thing that could cure her.
Inside Allen, the Art of Immortality continued to spin at incredible speed, and his proficiency with it kept climbing.
Lilia’s face gradually returned to normal as the poison inside her slowly dissipated.
Allen let out a breath of relief and looked at the spot where the woman had stood, but she was gone.
"That woman is terrifying!" Lilia sighed, her fear finally fading now that the toxin was gone.
Just a moment ago, when the fog hit her, she felt a burning, scorching pain in her chest, like her body was burning from the inside out.
If Allen hadn’t cured her in time, she would have died.
"Cough... cough..."
A weak coughing sound suddenly came.
Allen jumped in surprise. There was still someone alive here?
He finally noticed that in his rush to save Lilia, his blood had dripped into this man’s mouth.
But the man was already on his last legs; his organs were corroded from the inside, and no god could save him now.
"Boy... pass on a message..." The man looked at Allen and struggled to speak.
"What message?" Allen crouched down, curious.
"Tell Father Priest... that Black Widow stole the Lightning Skill Book we found..." The man said weakly, then took his last breath.
"Lightning Skill Book?"
Allen’s eyes lit up. He had been searching for a skill related to the lightning element for ages but found nothing. Now, a clue appeared right before his eyes.
Lilia knew he was looking for such a book and warned him, "Allen, that Black Widow is too eerie. We shouldn’t mess with her."
"Don’t worry. Her poison doesn’t work on me," Allen said confidently. He had already seen the incredible power of the Art of Immortality.
The woman’s toxin couldn’t hurt him at all; instead, it accelerated the cultivation of the Art of Immortality, almost like a form of dual cultivation with Lilia sexual.
"Should we use the Church of Light to deal with that woman then?"
Lilia asked. Thinking of the dying man’s words, if they passed that news to the Church, the Church would surely intervene.
"No need," Allen replied, not wanting to get entangled with the Church of Light. If their identities were exposed, they would be in even more danger.
"Let’s go. First, I’ll get you up to Stage 3."
Allen glanced toward the distant mountains. He suspected Black Widow had headed into Ironridge.
Once Lilia also reached Stage 3, they would go to Ironridge to find that woman.
Night had fully fallen. The dense forest was teeming with powerful monsters, making it incredibly dangerous.
The two of them avoided monsters above Stage 6, carefully hunting down only those wandering alone.
[You defeated a Stage 5, Level 6 Dark Treant. Advanced Mission Complete. Base Attributes +2000, Free Attribute Points +12.]
A message flashed in his vision. Allen had finally completed his mission, advancing to Stage 3, Level 1. His attributes skyrocketed once again.
Lilia also reached Stage 2, Level 10, triggering her own advanced mission.
