Virus King [Translation]

The corpse before him had the appearance of a human, yet its attire was strikingly unusual. It was clear that this was no modern human or evolutionary.

Of course, neither modern humans nor evolutionaries could have caused such a massive mutation to become the source of a plague!

However, Novak remained calm. In fact, the bacterial plague surrounding him was converting into evolution points in his body with every passing second. The sight of this corpse piqued his interest even more.

Slowly, he approached the decaying figure.

An indescribable odor filled the air. It wasn't the typical smell of rot, but something far more unsettling.

The corpse was clad in a dark green robe—not an ancient robe, but something resembling a doctor's white coat. The green robe shrouded the rotting body, and mold had taken root, spreading across the corpse. Countless spores had grown on the decaying remains, sprouting grotesquely.

However, the figure held something intriguing in its hand—a scroll.

Novak hesitated for a moment before using his zombie claws to carefully extract the scroll from the corpse's grip. The scroll, made of black ink-stained parchment, was speckled with green patches, yet even now, it showed no signs of decay. This surprised Novak.

"What is this...?"

The figure seemed to be a special kind of human, likely someone who had also crossed into this trial field of gods and demons from another world. But which world, exactly? Novak didn't know. Still, he opened the scroll.

Though the writing on the scroll wasn't in his language, he could strangely understand it:

——

"A prophecy has been revealed, and another trial field of the universe has opened!

The High Priest sacrificed his life to leave us this prophecy!

The Supreme God shall visit the most exalted Kingdom of the Gods in this trial!

Our Great Lord will ignite the divine fire, guiding us to eternal life!

We believe that each purification carried out by our sect brings us closer to our merciful Father!

We sacrificed an entire world, opening the trial world one step ahead, and entered this world with the guidance of the Lord and proof of what He requires.

For the Lord to ascend to the Kingdom of God, we must make our contributions! For our Lord to reach the highest, we must pave the way!

Our sacrifices will etch our names into the benevolent Father's memory, and we will live forever in the Father's Kingdom! The latecomers will always remember our names!"

——

At the bottom of the scroll, a signature was written: "Plague Sect, Plaguebringer Calyxor Eldrathor."

A sect? Fanatics?

Novak raised an eyebrow slightly. But as he examined the scroll further, he noticed several large characters at the end, formed from inkblots:

『All things rot, all beings are immortal!』

What was this?

Novak felt an inexplicable sense of dread as he read those eight words. The phrase struck him deeply, sending a chill down his spine. Without thinking, he dropped the scroll.

Frowning, he could feel the immense power of the Plague King, the source of the entire sewer's infection—the most dangerous strain of plague and fungus.

It all stemmed from this eerie scroll.

More specifically, it came from the eight characters at the bottom of the scroll.

"All things rot, all beings are…"

Novak's expression darkened. In his past life, many sects had sprung up during the apocalypse. He himself had once been a part of one, even serving as the leader of the Hell Rose Sect, a dark cult that worshiped the goddess of desire.

However, he had never heard of this Plague Sect.

In his previous life, neither evolutionaries from this sect nor believers from other worlds had crossed into his awareness.

Interesting!

A smile crept onto Novak's face. The terrifying plague that was so harmful to others was nothing but nourishment for him.

Ignoring the rotting corpse that had begun to liquefy, Novak extended his hand.

The dark green plaques on the scroll, as if imbued with life, began to move. They clustered together, almost magnetically drawn to Novak's palm. The eight ink-formed characters began to shift, rapidly flowing toward him.

However, something unexpected happened.

Novak had anticipated that these virulent fungi—the powerful source of the plague—would be absorbed by the Virus King and transformed into pure evolution points, just like the bacterial viruses had been earlier.

But instead, the fungal viruses slowly condensed into a small, palm-sized imprint, glowing faintly green. The symbol resembled a fly encased in a green flame.

At that moment, the voice of the Cosmic Will echoed in Novak's mind:

——

[Special Mission: "The Border of the Sewer" completed!]

[A group of fanatics sacrificed an entire world in order to gain proximity to the gods. They possess the power of the plague, carrying with them the germs of life. They are messengers of death and the nemesis of life! And now, they seek to infect this new world once again!]

[You have gained 2000 experience points!]

[The normal-level secret realm 'Old Sewer (Level 5-10)' is being formed. After 12 hours, it will officially become a secret realm!]

[Hell-level secret realm 'Plague Sewers (Level 15-35)' is being formed. After one month, the second floor deep within the old sewer will become accessible, marking the creation of a new dungeon!]

——

Hell-level Secret Realm Dungeon?!

Novak's excitement grew.

The creation of a common-level dungeon like the Old Sewer was expected, but the announcement of a Hell-level dungeon? A dungeon that ranged from level 15 to 35? Even though it wouldn't form for another month, the implications were terrifying!

After all, even the Incinerator Dungeon had only reached the Nightmare level, and this would far surpass that.

Before Novak could fully process the information, another notification appeared:

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[You have discovered a special clue and resisted being fully corrupted by the fungus. You have gained the 'Plague Seal' and met the conditions for a special task! New task accepted: Plague Sect (SSS Difficulty)]

——