4 Chapter 4: Legacy 2/2 [4/4]
The stone coffin remained still, silently there.
But it had already made it clear to everyone that perhaps everything else in this chamber combined was no match for the significance of this "Stone Coffin."
Or perhaps
Or perhaps, it was what was stored inside the "stone coffin".
Jason was panting with excitement, his pupils dilated, his hands subtly trembling from the thrill. His Miasma detector displayed that the "Miasma" concentration in this stone coffin had maxed out, the needle swinging at its maximum amplitude.
This signified that the miasma energy contamination of this stone coffin was at least of an A-class.
And you must know, A-class Miasma items have already transcended the category of money. Each one of them possessed horrifying capabilities, needing to be carefully contained in the most secure and secluded chambers.
There was no doubt.
This was…
The Legacy of the legendary emperor they had been searching for!
Suppressing the boiling emotions that urged him to rush over and open it immediately.
But before that.
Jason had another task to complete.
Scarface took out a pistol from his waist and aimed the dark barrel at the female scavenger who had previously led them.
"What is the meaning of this?" Eileen stared intently at the gun barrel and took a step back.
"Just as you see, we appreciate you leading us to the 'Legacy', but sadly, to keep this secret, we can only leave you here forever"
Jason finally dropped his mask, revealing a sinister side to the female scavenger.
He sneered at Eileen's shocked expression.
"Did you think we wouldn't lay a hand on you at least until we've returned? Naive! Once I've obtained the legacy and absorbed the Miasma, becoming an Eclipse, do we still need you to guide us?"
At Scarface man's first half sentence, Eileen's face turned slightly pale, as she indeed had been read by him.
But when Jason's second half came out, Eileen's expression had already turned to shock.
"What...what!? Absorbing Miasma energy? Becoming an Eclipse? Are you insane? You're committing suicide!"
The scavenger woman had a valid reason to call Jason mad.
After all,
Eclipses.
In the previous era, this term had been the people's hope in the world. But now, in the new era, it had become the nightmare that every city and nation feared.
It all boils down to one reason.
Since the disappearance of emperor Ashen five hundred years ago, up until this day, no one had been able to control the power of "Miasma" as perfectly as the emperor did in the past.
The Eclipse were the result of the fusion between humans and Miasma. Although they brought immense power and abilities, they also corroded the mind and spirit. With a slight misstep, they could go berserk, turning into Miasma monsters.
The higher the rank of the Eclipse, the more likely they are to lose themselves, and the more destruction they can cause. In severe cases, their rampage can even bring back the terrifying " Natural disasters " from the old age.
In the post-apocalypse era, the independent cities and alliances finally reached a unified understanding. They could no longer cultivate Eclipses individuals as stable and without any after-effects as emperor Ashen once did.
On the contrary, frequent loss of control of Eclipses and the purification of "Tainted Miasma", which reduced the remaining "Miasma energy", have increased the risk of Eclipses wanting to advance.
All these led to the "Eclipse" being included in the "wanted" list by various countries. Once discovered, they must be immediately arrested and controlled.
The previously mentioned "Miasma items" are the same and belong to the serious "prohibited items" list.
But now, Jason was claiming that he wanted to absorb the Miasma energy and become an Eclipse.
No.
He wasn't insane.
In the end, Eileen looked at the reddish-brown stone coffin.
'If this was indeed the "Legacy" of the legendary Emperor, maybe... just maybe, it could be working somehow.'
'Damn it!'
The scavenger woman discreetly placed one hand behind her back and raised the other.
Eileen attempted one last struggle,
"I promise, I won't speak a word about what happened here! I don't want the remaining payment anymore. Please, I beg you, let me go."
Unfortunately, the answer she received was Jason's index finger beginning to pull the trigger.
And his tone filled with scornful irony.
"Dead people will never tell the tale"
Bang!*
That wasn't the sound of a gunshot.
Before Jason could pull the trigger, another sudden noise in the chamber got ahead of him.
At this moment, everyone's gaze instinctively turned in one direction, the real source of the dull noise.
There, at the deepest part of the chamber.
There.
The reddish-brown stone coffin!
* Bang, Bang! *
The sound of impacts continued to emanate from inside the coffin, as if something within was trying to break free.
The reddish-brown patterns on the coffin walls, accompanied by the trembling of the lid, began to flicker wildly, spreading a crimson glow as if intent on dyeing the entire chamber in blood.
And when the people were enveloped in these reddish-brown ripples, they couldn't help but clutch their heads in pain, their faces contorted and twisted, bearing grimaces of agony.
Because right beside their ears...
Cries. Roars. Screams. Laughter.
Various chaotic sounds combined into whispering madness. Even though they tried their best to cover their ears, these sounds that drive people insane still echoed in their minds, wreaking havoc on their spirits.
The Miasma detector in Jason's hand was shaking wildly along with everyone else. Cracks appeared on the glass display, indicating that the level of "Miasma energy" here had gone so high it couldn't be measured at first, to breaking the machine completely.
In the next moment.
Bang! *
Clang! *
Come even a louder muffled sound than before.
After this sound, everything came to a halt.
Whether it was the chaotic sounds in everyone's mind, the pointer swaying wildly on the detector's dashboard, or the flickering reddish-brown patterns on the stone coffin that dyed the chamber red.
Jason seemed like a man who had just been rescued from drowning. Everything that had happened before might have been just a few seconds, but for him, it felt like a whole century of torture.
He was one hundred percent sure that it was the thing that everyone feared – Tainted Miasma.
And as the source of the intense energy…
The patterns on the stone coffin had dimmed down, no longer emitting reddish-brown light. Even the initial fell of mystery and age they gave off had disappeared, as if it had become just an ordinary coffin
Of course, those were not the main points.
The main point was...
The lid of the stone coffin.
Everyone held their breath.
Everyone's forehead was covered with cold sweat, their backs were chilled, and a creepy feeling quickly crawled into everyone's hearts.
Under the shocked, stunned, astonished, and fearful eyes of Jason, the female scavenger, and all the gang members,
They saw a young man slowly emerging from the shadows of the coffin.
The black-haired young man who got up from the stone coffin seemed to be confused at first, then after looking around, especially after seeing the layout of this chamber, he seemed to suddenly realize something.
In the next moment, the young man became inexplicably angry.
And immediately followed it with a series of strange words that left them utterly baffled.
"Is this the second playthrough!?"
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