Level Up The Colony-Chapter 29: Switch

Timothy approached a thick tree and cleaved it down in a single stroke.

But Yusuf wasn't behind it.

His senses told him he had been, yet ...

SLAM!

The tree, instead of falling, suddenly stopped midair and then swung at him like a club.

The impact sent him flying.

Timothy twisted midair, flipping to land, only to find Yusuf already upon him.

A claw lashed toward his head.

He raised his machete just in time to parry it.

The werewolf's other claw aimed straight for his stomach, But Timothy caught it with his free hand.

Now, they were locked in a contest of strength.

Claw met blade.

Beast met Hunter.

Yusuf tried to use his superior weight and height to overpower Timothy, lunging forward with force.

However, instead of being pushed back, Timothy used Yusuf's momentum against him.

Before Yusuf could react, a sharp knee drove into his jaw, followed by a powerful kick that lifted him off the ground and sent him sprawling sideways.

But Timothy wasn't done.

He had learned his lesson, this enemy preferred running and hiding.

As Yusuf struggled to recover, a cloth suddenly wrapped around his ankle, yanking him back with immense force.

Helpless against the pull, he barely had time to react before a machete slashed across his chest, carving another deep wound into his flesh.

A sharp roar of pain escaped Yusuf's lips as an X-shaped mark now marred his chest.

Yet Timothy remained indifferent.

With the cloth still securing his opponent, he pulled Yusuf closer and prepared to deliver another devastating strike.

Yusuf frantically clawed at the ground, trying to regain balance, but the force against him was overwhelming.

He knew the next attack was aimed at a vital spot, and in desperation, he raised his hands to shield his neck.

The machete bit deep into his palm, slicing further with every passing second.

Pinned to the ground, Yusuf realized his situation was dire.

It was daytime, his regeneration was sluggish, and worse, he wasn't even on Earth.

There was no help coming.

With his free hand, he threw a desperate punch at Timothy, landing a solid hit.

But Timothy didn't budge.

Instead, he pressed the machete down even harder.

Yusuf screamed in frustration, his voice rising in fury.

"Do you know who I am?! You can't kill me! You'll regret this! I'll kill you! I'll kill everyone you love! Your family! Your lovers! Your siblings! Your parents..."

The moment that the last word left his lips, Timothy froze.

Seeing an opportunity, Yusuf smirked.

"Yes, my clan will come for you, but if you release me..."

He never got to finish.

The pressure on the machete intensified as Timothy activated his Armament, the blade seamlessly cutting through Yusuf's palm.

The werewolf's smirk vanished as terror filled his eyes.

Like a hot knife through butter, the blade continued its grim path through his wrist, past his throat.

The last thing Yusuf saw was a dark-skinned boy with piercing green eyes, mercilessly ending his life.

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His final words were a name.

"Timothy Walters...!"

His severed head hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Let them come," Timothy said with a bloodied calm face

A sharp ding echoed in Timothy's mind.

[5/7 hostile intents eliminated.]

He exhaled, glancing at his bloodstained clothes.

"Pitiful."

Without another word, he turned and walked back toward the serpent's corpse.

As he reached the location, he found three people collapsed on the ground, visibly paralyzed.

Gray, his termite companion, was perched atop the female assassin, who no longer looked to be in critical condition.

Her heartbeat had grown stronger.

Timothy frowned.

"What happened here?"

Gray wiggled excitedly, clearly eager to explain, but before he could, the entire dungeon trembled violently.

"Never mind that. We need to leave now."

Timothy stored his weapon in his inventory and hoisted the porters' bag onto his back.

Before leaving, he swiftly looted the bodies, pocketing whatever valuable equipment he could find, he'd need to sell them to make up for his broken dagger.

Unfortunately, retrieving the mana crystals from across the river was impossible now.

He had his hands full carrying the assassin, and he wasn't about to drop anything important.

Irritated, he glanced at the remaining survivors, a tank and a healer.

He had initially planned to spare the healer, thinking she might save the assassin, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the tank's shield and used it to decapitate the healer and tank.

It was cleaner this way.

He could have let the dungeon collapse on them, but he didn't want to risk them surviving.

More importantly, he didn't know what kind of punishment the system might give him for leaving the job unfinished.

Another ding sounded.

[7/7 hostile intents eliminated.]

[You have completed the special quest.]

[Your reward is available. Do you want to claim? Y/N?]

Timothy ignored the notification.

He was too focused on how to carry all the loot and the unconscious girl when Gray suddenly enlarged, growing to the size of a horse.

The termite vibrated with excitement, its antennae wiggling.

Timothy sighed.

"I'm not even going to ask. Just carry her, and let's go."

He threw the unconscious assassin onto Gray's back, and together, they sprinted toward the dungeon's shrinking entrance.

Gray was fast.

Faster than before.

But he still seemed irritated that he had to carry the girl.

As they neared the collapsing exit, they leaped through at the last second, emerging into the real world.

The bright sun greeted them, though it wasn't too hot, probably not yet midday.

Exhausted, everyone slumped onto the ground, gasping for air.

Timothy exhaled.

Gray shrank back to his small form and nestled into the scarf around Timothy's neck.

The female assassin lay unconscious on the ground nearby.

Timothy scanned his surroundings.

The once-bustling bridge, which was a marketplace, was eerily quiet.

Normally, civilians wouldn't evacuate so easily, even under federal orders, but after witnessing the devastation of one or two dungeon breaks firsthand, they had learned their lesson.

Now, only a handful of people remained, some merely using the bridge as a shortcut, others lingering for reasons of their own.

With a calm exhale, Timothy stood up, the heavy backpack on his shoulders showing no sign of burdening him.

The smaller pieces of equipment were tucked away inside his bag, while the larger ones were strapped around him in an almost haphazard fashion.

His gaze fell on the unconscious woman.

Theoretically, she should have woken up by now.

If he left her here, she might be robbed or even killed.

But if he called emergency services, he risked unwanted attention from the Hunter Association or the authorities.

Even though he had only acted in self-defense, his rocky relationship with the Association made things complicated.

What if they confiscated his loot? That thought alone made him uneasy.

'Should I just take her home?' he thought but The idea was immediately dismissed.

That would only bring more trouble.

He didn't want to get involved with any other hunter beyond business.

After weighing his options, he settled on calling the emergency number.

It probably wouldn't arrive on time, but that was fine.

It would be better if she woke up before they got here.

Timothy searched his bag and found a notebook and pen.

Scribbling down a brief message, he folded the paper and, without hesitation, tucked it under the strap of her bra.

It was a habit he had seen older women use when hiding money, his grandmother included.

He chuckled at the memory before shaking his head.

'Focus.'

Without wasting another second, he turned and left the scene.

It wasn't hard to get away unnoticed.

Once he reached an empty road, any taxi driver would be eager to take him, considering the amount of gear he was carrying.

He booked an entire five-seater taxi and headed home.

Luckily, his loot included some cash, so he had just enough to pay the fare.

His clothes were drenched in filth from head to toe, but that didn't matter, his mind was focused on one thing: getting home, cleaning up, and sorting through his spoils.

When he arrived, he paid the driver and rushed inside, hauling his bag of equipment like a man possessed.

He didn't care how the neighbors looked at him.

Let them stare.

Once inside, he dumped the equipment in the living room and bolted for the bathroom.

The clothes he had worn during the raid? Straight to the trash.

There was no way he was touching them again unless they were cleaned thoroughly.

Only after scrubbing off the grime did he finally relax.

Now, it was time to count his earnings.

First, he emptied his pockets, his damaged phone, and some crumpled, dirt-covered cash.

He took the phone outside to dry in the sun, then washed the money before setting it out to air.

It was still usable, and he wasn't about to waste it.

After tallying everything, he found that the cash amounted to forty-five thousand naira, roughly $30.

Not much, but enough to cover any repairs his phone might need.

He hadn't even bothered to check the equipment yet.

Most of it would be sold to the black market, while the mana crystals would go to the Association.

It wasn't like he had any use for them.

Retrieving the mana crystals from his bag, he counted seven in total.

All were C-rank, though they varied in size.

As he picked up one of them, a notification flashed before his eyes.

[Poison Serpent Orb]

The crystal gleamed an eerie, bright green.

It was roughly the same size as the panther orb he had retrieved earlier.

That made him pause.

Why did the panther-like beast have the serpent's orb?

A troubling thought.

If this orb was part of the loot from their raid, then how had the panther ended up with it? Then he remembered the serpent also had the panther orb

Frowning, Timothy set the orb aside.