[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-extra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades":3,"chapter-extra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades-extra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades-chapter-33":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Extra's Death: I Am the Son of Hades",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},418023,682,"Chapter 33: Gremlins","extra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>To use Darkness or to not use it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dilemma was a luxury a Grade 5 Awakened Demigod like him could not afford.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, it wasn't like he was devouring a human soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After making a decision, he moved towards the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had barely recovered any Divine Energy and he was steadily growing tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consuming the mantis should help him recover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just trying to survive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The location of the mantis' corpse was not far into the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the lack of visibility, Neo could reach the location fairly easily by referring to his memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck. Of course, it's like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse was missing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crouched and touched the soil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground had marks as if the mantis was dragged away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were multiple footprints along the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Should I follow the traces? The mantis had weak defense but it was fairly strong. I should get a quite few stats if I absorb it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo's mind raced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Multiple monsters were needed to drag the corpse. They are physically weak.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They didn't hunt the monster and instead stole the corpse. They are thieves not hunters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The fact they live in groups means the individual members of their species have low combat power. They use numbers to protect themselves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of deduction pointed out to a single conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monsters were at the bottom of food chain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were a species that lived on scraps of others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But a group also signify they have basic intelligence. They might be able to make use or weapons and traps.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moreover, I don't know their numbers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Without the blessing of Underworld, I can't heal anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fighting recklessly like I usually do is out of the question.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, his goal was to search for flag posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he wouldn't find them by searching for them blindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might encounter a strong monster during the exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These monsters, seemingly at the bottom of food chain, were the best choice for Neo to hunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made the decision and followed the tracks left by whoever stole the mantis corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tracks took him out of the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He navigated through the forest and soon heard unintelligible noises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were coming from behind and left sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One group went ahead and two more are nearby. How many of them are there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo quickly looked for a method to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noises were slowly nearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly saw the vines hanging from the trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no other place to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Return to monkey it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vines were easy to hold and climb with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Neo, after losing the blessing, became tired easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had climbed only half of the way when the monsters appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crude purple skin, short stature, and hideously ugly. Most of them were empty handed while a few carried a wooden club.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gremlins…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo recognized them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He climbed the vines while the monsters focused on the path and stood on the thick tree branches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should use the tree branches to tail them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their short stature, they would find it difficult to climb and if Neo was caught he would have enough time to run away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he followed the Gremlins, he realized something horrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were too many of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He came across five groups and their numbers only increased as they went in the direction where their base might be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They approached area with sparse trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo was forced to a stop and he tried to scout the Gremlins base from the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A few hundreds at least…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lived in rag-tag huts and had created a crude wooden wall to surround the tribe's border.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging from the infrastructure, they were either nomadic or poorly skilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a burned bonfire in the center of the tribe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse of mantis was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gremlins seemed to be laughing and dancing as they tore a piece of the corpse and ate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo suddenly noticed a woman next to the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears and snot covered her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn't hear her and tried to read her lips,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Help me!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sav…e me…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was missing her right leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gremlins tore her body apart and ate her along with the mantis corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bit his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing he could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was already dead and he was too weak to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting a group of Gremlins, let alone hundreds, in his current condition was suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he didn't avert his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was weird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he stay calm in the current situation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was in Underworld where he could be killed any time, yet he never felt afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I feel numbed… Barbatos warned me I'll become tainted if I touched death too many times.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo felt it was a good change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He calmly analyzed the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The woman must be a wandering soul. Either a Grim Reaper didn't come to pick her up, or she ran away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She ran away and became food for monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was how things worked in Underworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no happy ending for the weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Power was the only solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not just Underworld, it's the same in the world of living. If I don't become strong, I'll never survive the calamities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Neo felt the flags inside his clothes vibrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took one of them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flag, as if it came to life, whirred and pointed at the burned bonfire in the middle of the Gremlin camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beat later, it returned to its lifeless self.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo looked at the flag in his hand and at the bonfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it telling me the flag post is there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>… Barbatos was really trying get him killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neo really wanted to cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a short breath and calmed himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not the time to mop around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, he should be happy he found the flag post quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But how can I go in there and use the flag post.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gremlins were not friendly to humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman showed him why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A small group might be doable, but fighting hundreds is not an option.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at partying Gremlins while they enjoyed the feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Partying?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An idea popped into Neo's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This might work…\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1045,"2026-05-30T08:00:57.171Z","2026-06-01T04:30:42.299Z",1,"novelbin.me","2f754f9caac73ab9675bb45dc530a213d5f51cf830522b91c9935128221d1f8c","extra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades-chapter-34","extra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades-chapter-32",839,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fextra-s-death-i-am-the-son-of-hades-cover.jpg"]