Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Astrid challenged them. Her Qi was rising and her fire burned brighter. The flame spread and burned the building, illuminating her figure.

She was truly the embodiment of fire, a dangerous and unstoppable force. More than 5 bandits had been killed and burned in such a short time.

"W-Who are you?"

"Enemy attack!"

Someone shouted loudly, and the bandits panicked.

"Fuck! Get out and kill her!"

"We will avenge our fallen comrades!"

Their anger and their thirst for revenge overwhelmed them, and they rushed forward.

Facing them, Astrid smiled. She was drowned in her strength and the rush of adrenaline. Being drunk on one's power was a bad thing, but she couldn't help it. It happened a lot in Murim, especially for martial artists who had just advanced and awakened their element.

She couldn't let herself get overwhelmed.

With that thought, Astrid focused and fought. She dodged the bandits' attacks and killed them without hesitation. Her flame danced, and her sword moved swiftly. Blood splattered, and her enemies fell.

"Die! Die, you bitch!"

"You can't stop all of us! We're too many!"

They shouted, their anger and frustration growing. Their bodies were stronger due to their inner Qi, but they were by no means strong enough to be a match against Astrid.

"I am not scared of your number. I can handle you all alone."

Astrid smiled and charged forward. She didn't know how much time had passed. Her sword moved like a snake, cutting the enemy's sword as well as butchering their bodies.

But then, she noticed something strange.

'There's too much smoke. Is there a fire? No, it's not my flame. Something burned with my purple flame won't create any smoke. That means...'

Pulled out from her trance, Astrid looked around and realized what was happening.

"Wait, is the village on fire? How can it be on fire?"

She couldn't understand. There was no source of fire besides her, and she had controlled her flame to only burn the bandits.

So... The one burning these buildings should be the other bandits.

"They are burning their own home?!"

Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

The bandits were desperate, and they couldn't let her chase after them. Therefore, they burned their own village, hoping that the fire would distract her.

In fact, it worked. She didn't realize that there were fewer people in the village when she first arrived. They had escaped, leaving her to deal with the remaining.

"You are smart."

She couldn't believe bandits could think this far. It was a smart plan, and she fell for it.

"Dammit."

She wanted to chase after them, but the smoke was too thick and she couldn't see clearly. There were still 5 people around her, and they were trying to ambush her.

"Don't think that you guys can escape!"

Feeling anger bubbling inside her, Astrid unleashed her full power and her flame grew brighter. Her body was burning, and her Qi was roaring.

The bandits tried to run, but they couldn't escape.

In a single swing, flame that resembled a bird flew toward the bandits.

"Phoenix Fire!"

The bandit's body was engulfed by the flame, and they were burnt to ashes. Astrid stood there, breathing heavily as she watched her enemies die.

The fire continued to burn, and the smoke rose high. Staying here any longer would be bad for her.

"Well, it's time to go."

Astrid sheathed her sword and turned around. No one was around anymore as she couldn't feel their Qi.

'I should get out of here fast. The smoke is so thick and I can't see clearly.'

She could sense Leo's presence and knew that he was nearby.

"Leader, I'm don...e..."

Her words stopped as she felt a hand grabbing her. She couldn't react fast enough, and the figure behind her was quick and nimble.

'What-'

Her eyes widened as the person behind her flung her away.

When she realized it, she was already in the air, and the person was moving toward her.

"Huh, who is-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the person appeared in front of her and punched her.

"Ahh!"

She cried out as she flew and crashed onto the ground. Her body was in pain, and she couldn't move. She felt her breath leaving her lungs, and the figure landed beside her.

"You are strong. But not strong enough."

A deep, feminine voice spoke. Astrid looked up and saw a woman standing over her. A cold and dangerous aura surrounded her, and her eyes were sharp and merciless.

'Who is she?'

Astrid couldn't recognize her. The woman wore a mask and a hood, hiding her face and her hair. The only thing she could feel was that the other party was strong and dangerous.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice cracking a bit. She was damaged, but not to the point where she couldn't stand up and fight.

Thanks to the bodysuit, she avoided fatal damage. The kinetic energy was spread evenly, lessening the damage.

"Just an assassin. Don't worry about it."

The woman shook her head and chuckled.

"You're from Hallowed Insect, right? What a shame. You are weak and pathetic. Thankfully, only you are here. I can use you, so stay still if you don't want to die."

Cold Qi gathered around the woman's hand as she raised her palm which held a pill with blue color.

Astrid's eyes widened as she sensed danger. She couldn't let the other person finished her technique. Without thinking, she took a risk and jumped. Her Qi burst forth and purple flame burst out of her hands.

"Flame Burst!"

Fireball appeared in her hand and shot toward the woman. The fireball was small but powerful. It collided with the woman and exploded in purple flame. Black smoke filled the air and the ground was scorched.

However, when it cleared out a second later, the woman stood there uninjured. Only her robe was burnt and turned into ash, revealing her cold and expressionless face. Her purple hair fluttered, and her eyes stared at Astrid.

"Interesting, so you can do this? It's not bad. However, it's not enough."

The woman smirked and her hand opened, revealing the pill from earlier.

Instantly, the woman's figure disappeared. Astrid couldn't follow her movement, and before she could react, she was right in front of her, holding her chin and forcing her to open her mouth.

"Now, be a good girl and eat this."

Astrid tried to struggle, but she couldn't use her Qi for some reason. Panic filled her heart as she felt her body getting weaker.

'No, not like this!'

She couldn't just let this happen. She had just gotten the power and the opportunity to stand on her own, and she couldn't let it be taken away so easily.

As if her wish was heard, a large black toy appeared beside her and sent a punch.

"Hmm?"

Thud!

Before the woman could react, she was hit and flung backward.

"What-"

She couldn't understand what was going on. The punch came out of nowhere, and she couldn't feel any presence or Qi. She flew far away, crashing into a tree and breaking it.

At that moment, Astrid looked up and saw Coco, in its gigantic form, stood in front of her, shielding her from danger.

"Coco?"

She was surprised and couldn't believe what had happened.

And then, a voice followed suit.

"Pretty good for a formerly sheltered girl, but too naive. You should use your Nanites to neutralize the poison you've been injected with."

Chiaki walked toward her and kneeled down. Her eyes were cold and sharp, and she didn't seem worried at all. She observed Astrid, opening her eyes and mouth before nodding in understanding.

"Follow my lead. Give commands to Nanites using your thoughts. They will do the rest. You can't even do such basic stuff after I taught you before?"

She didn't ask anymore questions or say anything. Instead, she nodded weakly. If Chiaki said that she was poisoned, then she was poisoned. There was no need to question her.

And there was no point at arguing.

'Nanites, cure my body.'

[Affirmative.]

[Poison detected, begin neutralization process.]

[Please stay still for 60 seconds.]

Looking that Astrid's condition began to stabilize, Chiaki nodded and stood beside Coco.

"Stay behind me." She ordered and looked at the woman who was lying on the ground, her expression confused and angry.

"You..." She spoke, her voice low and dangerous. "Who are you? You are not human."

"Is it another insect?"

Instead of answering, the woman asked a question. Her body was raised unnaturally, and her eyes glowed in the darkness. The part that Coco punched was deformed, having a strange color.

'What's that?'

Chiaki narrowed her eyes. She had never seen such a regeneration. Not even her own wildest medicine would achieve the same effect, making skin bulging and repairing the damaged part with... maggots.

"You're right, I'm not human. I am something more than a human, a perfect being whose intelligence far surpasses yours."

The woman smirked.

"You insects have touched and entered a cave that you shouldn't enter. This will be the end of you all. My Lord will destroy everything and create a new world."

Her words were full of conviction and determination.

"So, it's the Supreme Evil."

Chiaki didn't need to hear her confession. It was clear what she was.

"I never expected to encounter the Supreme Evil's followers this early. So, which one are you? Head or Eyes?"

The woman's expression changed, her smirk vanished and her face became blank. She didn't speak.

"That means, you're a Head." Chiaki muttered and smirked.

"Eyes are the informant and move behind the scene, having a lower combat power than the others. I've heard that Head is stronger because not only she had control over Eyes' corruption power, but also had the power of regeneration and martial arts."

Upon hearing the information that Chiaki casually gave, the woman's expression hardened. She probably didn't expect her to have such detailed information.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Anyway, we don't have time for this."

With a wave of her hand, Coco charged forward and swung its arm. The woman was caught off guard and was hit in the stomach, sending her flying.

"I will extract all the information I need from your corpse. Then, I will know who you are and how your body works."

A wicked smile formed on Chiaki's face as she laughed like a mad scientist who found an experiment subject.