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Chapter 263: The Cult (33)
Inside the Hideout
Rowan could not fully concentrate on meditating, for every thought reminded him of his dire predicament and the crushing helplessness that barred any escape from his current situation.
He sat down inside the pool and scanned the area, observing the other captives as they sat in rigid silence, forcefully and fearfully cultivating mana with a desperate determination.
Meditating, under normal circumstances, is not a difficult task once one possesses a mana core and fully grasps the mechanics of cultivating magic. However, the same could not be said when one is forced to cultivate as though every moment might be their last, and even worse, no matter how hard one labors, safety is never guaranteed.
So
How could Rowan—a man who loves freedom—ever hope to concentrate in such an oppressive environment? The challenge was insurmountable and, in his eyes, utterly impossible.
Secondly, Rowan didn't really have any need for meditation since he could supplement his mana for evolution points, which he already had in bulks, making the forced practice all the more futile.
"Ahhhh"
Rowan let out a small cry of frustration and fixed his gaze on the cold, rugged ceiling, its uneven surface reflecting the harsh reality of his confinement.
"What should I do now? I might go insane with the endless nagging of my thoughts."
Rowan let out a resigned sigh and turned his attention to the captive meditating on his left side. The man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, sported curly black hair and a slim physique that was distinctly visible even in the dim light.
Employing his keen inspection skills, Rowan carefully observed him and found himself quite impressed by his magic cultivation rank—it was around the same as Dragun's, a silent testament to rigorous training.
"Hey buddy."
He whispered softly, though the fella was so deeply immersed in meditation that he remained oblivious to Rowan's presence.
"Hey!"
Rowan raised his voice slightly, and thankfully, the man's attention was captured. Yet the expression on the fella's face was difficult to explain—it conveyed a curious blend of confusion, surprise, curiosity, annoyance, and even a trace of anger.
"Yo, calm down—I'm just trying to talk to you," Rowan said in a low, measured tone.
"Are you insane???" the guy whispered back. His voice was so faint that one might easily miss his words regardless of closeness; he appeared almost afraid to fully use his mouth. Fortunately, Rowan's heightened hearing caught every delicate nuance.
"Insane?" Rowan echoed, his curiosity growing as he tried to gauge the man's intent.
The man looked at Rowan with a deep frown before asking, "Are you new?"
Rowan nodded in acknowledgement and informed him that he hadn't been here for more than twenty-four hours.
Immediately, the guy facepalmed.
"That explains it! Weren't you told what to do—and what not to do—before you entered?" the man asked, his tone laced with exasperation.
Rowan shook his head.
"Fuck!!"
The guy felt increasingly inclined to curse as he conversed with Rowan—was this guy truly sick in the head? Even without having the rules clearly read to him, shouldn't he be perceptive enough to read the room and grasp the situation? The more he mulled over the matter, the deeper his frustration grew.
Nevertheless, though he yearned to end the conversation quickly, fearing that someone might suddenly appear, he also found himself compelled to continue speaking—it had been far too long since his mouth had been used for anything more than mere breathing.
He patiently explained the rules to Rowan, recounting a few stories about previous talkative individuals people much like himbl who had eventually become experimental subjects for the long white-haired devil, none other than Alister.
Most of these explanations were already fairly clear to Rowan, such as the strict rule that they were only permitted to meditate all day and forbidden from engaging in any other activity.
However, Rowan really did not give a fuck about those.
"Have anyone ever tried to escape? Tell me what they tried and how they were caught."
The man looked at Rowan and shook his head, as if to say that while boldness might come naturally to talkative types, in this case, such audacity would only lead to an early grave.
"Don't even think about it," he warned. "There have been several attempts to escape, but none have ever succeeded. Heck, the farthest anyone has managed to get from their assigned pool isn't even up to six feet! The moment you step out, you trigger a magical alarm system—the cult does not play with that; they arrive even before the alarm has finished."
Rowan's hopes were thoroughly shattered upon hearing all that, yet he did not completely surrender to despair.
He then inquired if any other notable event had ever taken place here, but the answer was a resounding none.
The man, who later introduced himself as Eliman when Rowan inquired about his name, pleaded with him to cease speaking and promptly returned to his meditation.
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Once again, Rowan sank into silent depression. He felt like a curious dog locked within the confines of a small wooden cage—utterly useless and hopeless in his predicament.
"Riela is really a cultivation freak."
He sighed deeply and turned to Riela, who was cultivating with serious focus and a calm expression on her gorgeous face. Among everyone in this place, she was the only one who seemed to be truly enjoying the process.
Bored and frustrated, Rowan called out his character status, only to find that, just as before, all his power remained blocked.
Rowan attempted to contact his pets telepathically, but it was impossible—it almost felt as though he had never had pets at all.
He desperately tried activating some of his skills, yet none would activate except for his eclipse vision.
Rowan cursed his shitty luck once more, closed his eyes and went into a meditative state to calm his troubling mind.
Just like that, another twenty four hours boringly went by.
Different activities went on within the cult's hideout — The captives meditated meticulously, some of the cultist trained in their dark arts, some patrolled the hideout.
BOOM! BOOM!!
Suddenly, the whole confinement began to quake uncontrollably and several loud explosive sounds could be heard coming from an unknown distance.
The captives opened their eyes confused as to what waa happening.
The cultist ran around, trying to figure out what was wrong.
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