Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 154: The Mark

Ethan struggled, but the pull was too strong. Even the mist inside his Gate of Ascension surged outward, pouring through the open threshold.

Gritting his teeth, he forced the gate shut with a resounding slam.

With no more soul energy flowing, his face turned pale, and his body wavered before collapsing.

Celeste, standing nearby, caught him just in time. Though his body was weak from the energy drain, at least he had broken free.

Ethan’s gaze locked onto the cracked altar, filled with lingering fear.

Doe, the only other one who could see his soul energy, shared the same horrified expression.

"What happened to Ethan?" The group rushed over.

Ethan didn’t answer immediately. He closed his eyes, trying to reopen the Gate of Ascension to replenish his energy.

Last time, after escaping the mindscape, he had gained control over opening and closing the gate at will. But now, completely drained, he couldn’t establish a connection.

After a failed attempt, he gave up and opened his eyes. "There’s something down there… and it has the same parasite mark as Celeste’s."

He exhaled sharply. "It absorbs soul energy. Nearly drained me dry."

Ethan’s eyes flicked to Leo, his expression cold. "Leo, dig it up."

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He wasn’t the type to just take a hit and let it slide. The altar had already shattered, and nothing disastrous had happened.

That meant they could dig the damn thing out, study it, and if necessary, smash it to pieces.

No way in hell was he letting something get away with stealing from him. Still nauseous from the encounter, Ethan cursed in his mind.

That feeling had been unbearable—like his very soul was being yanked out of his body. Even now, a wave of dizziness hit him, like a severe case of motion sickness.

Leo nodded at the order and pulled a pair of rubber gloves from his pack, along with a small shovel and rake.

At the altar’s center, the foot-wide cracked area had splintered like a spiderweb. Leo carefully scraped away the broken pieces.

Finally, something emerged from the rubble. A small, round, leather-wrapped object, no bigger than a dinner plate. It seemed to be sealing whatever was beneath it, like a lid over a jar.

Branded into its surface was a grotesque black symbol.

The parasite.

Identical to the one on Celeste’s back, except for the color.

Everyone had braced themselves after Ethan’s warning, but seeing it in person triggered an eerie sensation.

The longer they stared at it, the stronger the pull. A deep, sinking feeling… like being dragged into an abyss.

"Don’t look at it!" Ethan’s sharp yell cut through the trance. He knew firsthand—his soul energy had been devoured just moments ago.

His voice snapped them out of it.

A collective shiver ran through the group, and cold sweat dripped down their backs. For a terrifying moment, it had felt like they were losing themselves.

Doe had never gotten close, likely afraid that her soul-form body would be affected too.

Leo, on the other hand, had been fully engaged in his task. But when Ethan shouted, he flinched, lifting his head with a startled expression.

"Damn, Ethan, what the hell was that for? Nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The others turned to stare at him.

"…What?" Leo blinked.

Victor wiped sweat from his forehead. "You didn’t feel anything weird just now?"

"Nope."

"…Wait, is this because he’s still a virgin?" Williams muttered.

"Williams, if you bring that up one more time, we’re done."

Ethan, barely holding back laughter, waved a hand. "Alright, Leo, just take it out."

It seemed Leo was the only one unaffected, so the job remained his. After a bit of work, he cleared enough debris to reveal a narrow gap—just wide enough to fit a hand through.

Reaching in, he grabbed hold of something and yanked.

It didn’t budge.

Frowning, he wiggled it side to side, testing its resistance. "Weird… It feels like it’s attached to something."

He kept shifting it, trying to get a better grip.

"Agh—!"

Celeste let out a sharp cry, collapsing to her knees as her hands flew to her back.

"Leo, let go! Don’t move!" Ethan shouted, already rushing to her side.

Without hesitation, he pulled down the collar of her jacket, exposing the back of her neck.

The parasite mark writhed beneath her skin, slithering upward at an alarming speed. It was already at the base of her neck.

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Leo let go immediately.

The parasite mark twitched a few more times but stopped climbing.

It went still.

"What do we do? Should we just dig it out?" Leo asked, stepping closer.

Ethan had thought about it. But now that the idea was out in the open, he hesitated, his expression dark.

Celeste shook her head. "That won’t work. We’ve already tried. That’s why it’s called a Shadow Eater Worm."

She took a slow, shuddering breath before continuing.

"It’s a real, physical parasite. A worm. And it’s fully fused with my spinal nerves. Even if we tried surgery, there’s no way to remove it without severe damage."

"If you take it out now, at best, I’d end up in a vegetative state. If it were caught early—maybe. But the thing only reveals itself once it reaches the lower spine.

Before that, there are no symptoms. No pain. No warning. So no one ever thinks to check."

Ethan nodded grimly. He had suspected as much.

If the Ninth Division, with all its resources, had failed to remove it, then the issue was far worse than it seemed.

They had finally made some progress… only to hit another dead end. Worse, the parasite had sped up after being disturbed.

As frustration settled over the group, the shadow lynx padded over. It let out a low howl, catching their attention.

Then it pointed toward the tunnel they had come from. With a glance back at them, it started walking in that direction.

"You’re saying we can leave now?" Ethan asked.

The lynx nodded once before continuing forward.

If it was leading them outside, that meant whatever danger had been lurking in the cave was gone.

And maybe, just maybe it was leading them toward another clue. For now, the group had no choice but to put their faith in the strange creature.

The exit was right where they had entered, a passage tucked into the mountain wall. To Leo’s relief, no one had to bash their head against a stone to get through.

He had genuinely worried that Doe would pull the same stunt as before and force him into another self-inflicted concussion.

But when they finally stepped outside, everyone froze.

They had emerged inside that room, the eerie, abandoned house at the village entrance. The one where so many had hung themselves from the rafters.

Ethan’s breath caught in his throat.

Could the deaths in this place be connected to whatever was buried inside the mountain?

A chilling thought crept into his mind.

And the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place.