Harris’s method was beyond Su Changxing’s expectations. He never thought that these wizards would actually use curses, nor had he ever considered that wizards would be associated with curses.

"A mysterious world that has developed over countless ages truly has its unique aspects."

Su Changxing leaned against the wall, pondering for a while, and found that these curses didn’t affect him much, only that he didn’t know how to disperse them.

As a Tier Seven Extraordinary, with a mysteriousness level double that, and a rather high energy level, these curses didn’t have much of an impact on him for the time being.

But like moths, this influence could gradually magnify unnoticed, being released at some moment, at which he might be unable to bear it.

Moreover, these curses seemed to have many different types of natures. The curse he bore was called the Rot Curse, which causes flesh and power to fall into decay, leading first to the loss of reason, and then to dying as power is exhausted in madness.

The curse is equivalent to a small seed. Even if an extraordinary being is extremely powerful, without the corresponding ability, if the curse takes root and grows from within, it could cause even the mighty to fall.

As nearly all the invading wizards were dead, the war had come to an end, lasting only a few hours.

The sun had not yet risen, but the gunfire had ceased. In the dim light, countless corpses lay amidst the rubble, and the air was filled with the scent of death—a mix of blood and decay.

Team members from Unit One began clearing the battlefield according to protocol, sorting bodies, recording the list of the deceased, and tending to the wounded.

This battle stirred a great wave on the forums, and it was incredible that the Security Bureau emerged victorious in the face of a wizard attack—it was like a fable. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Ever since Team Seventeen retreated from Donglin City with tens of thousands of people, wizards had been deemed an invincible entity, something they could only evade.

This was a known fact, beyond dispute.

Many people were ecstatic because their ability to win implied a margin to resist, rather than being lambs to the slaughter.

Many also believed that the Security Bureau’s victory was due to the appearance of the Guide Pendant, allowing more extraordinaries to possibly face the wizards.

...

Zhou An sat on a piece of rubble by the street, holding a flying saber in one hand and a longsword in the other, gazing into the distance, silent for a long time.

"Brother Zhou, are your wounds okay?" Chang Yi stepped forward to ask.

Zhou An shook his head and said, "It’s nothing serious, just a few injuries, will recover soon."

Chang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Zhou An’s appearance, he had thought the injuries were severe: "That’s good, as long as you are fine. You were incredibly brave today. Without you, facing so many wizards, we would likely have been defeated."

He had now incorporated some members from Team Three into Unit One, so he was a member of Unit One as well.

Zhou An propped himself up with the longsword, stood up, and exhaled deeply, saying, "I must kill all these wizards, otherwise I will not rest easy, nor can I face our fallen brothers."

Seeing Zhou An in such a state, Chang Yi found him somewhat unfamiliar, and the naked killing intent in his voice sent a chill through him.

After a moment of silence, he said, "We definitely will."

He felt as if they were a group of people climbing up from the abyss, unable to see the light at the top, yet still striving to climb.

Because they had once seen the light and experienced good life, they longed for it.

"Your sword is full of rust," Chang Yi noticed.

Zhou An slung the longsword on his back, unconcerned, and said, "It’s fine. Even rusted, it’s still sharp. Killing those wizards is no problem."

He looked at his phone.

His position had changed from a Mortal breaking swordmaster to a Decayed Mortal breaking swordmaster.

[Decayed Mortal breaking swordmaster: You’ve entered a state of decay, engrossed in the past, unable to accept new abilities.

Conversely, you are more focused on existing abilities, capable of enhancing and breaking limits faster.]

The inability to accept new abilities was clearly a significant flaw in this direction of promotion for most people.

"Seems like it’s just this way." Zhou An shrugged, feeling it wasn’t a big deal.

"Huh?" Chang Yi looked puzzled.

Zhou An patted his shoulder, saying, "It’s nothing."

...

Su Changxing returned to the base, took a shower, changed clothes, and lay on the balcony lounger to rest, aiming to heal his injuries.

Lying still like this could promote faster body recovery.

"Are you cursed?" Elba saw the black veiny patterns on Su Changxing’s arm.

Su Changxing nodded without concealment: "Yes, the wizards Harris brought cast it... Are your wizards always so reckless?"

Elba showed a surprised expression, saying, "You killed Harris!"

Su Changxing’s lips curved with a faint smile, speaking calmly: "You thought I couldn’t take him on?"

Elba forced a smile: "Not really, but I’ve heard about Harris’s strength. Does that mean you have the ability to deal with Great Wizards now?"

Su Changxing shook his head, sighing: "No, I just got lucky and barely won."

Elba stared at him, scrutinizing him: "Even if you could defeat him, you’d never be a match for Richie. He was already a Great Wizard fifty years ago."

"So what?"

Su Changxing said indifferently.

Elba was momentarily silent, gently stroking the black crow on her shoulder. The crow was quite spiritual, constantly eyeing Su Changxing.

Su Changxing looked at it and said, "This black crow is quite plump."

Elba was startled and immediately cradled it protectively, saying, "It’s not for eating. It would’ve killed people."

Su Changxing chuckled, "What are you nervous about? I wouldn’t eat something of unknown origin."

Elba’s face stiffened slightly, saying, "I’m just afraid you might eat something wrong, causing problems that drag me down too."

Su Changxing turned to look at her, showing a serious expression: "What I said before hasn’t changed. You know, I’m a man of my word."

Elba blinked, responding lightly, "Just like you sell things at exorbitant prices?"

Su Changxing took a sip of the grape juice in his hand, "That’s fair trade. Haggling is justified... and another thing, if I die, don’t think you will live either."

"Of course, this is just to ensure the plan proceeds well. Humans are unpredictable, so if you want to retreat, you can tell me directly."

Elba revealed a sweet smile, "Leader Su, why would I have any reason to betray?"

Su Changxing closed his eyes slowly, "I don’t know either."