“Seriously, Po Kong, don’t you think you’re being a bit too paranoid? Once we’re down there, I can just coat your weapon with light elements every so often. Wouldn’t that be enough?” Starlight said, looking at Po Kong with a look of helplessness.
“What do you know? It’s called being prepared! Ghosts and things like that are elusive. If they jump out of nowhere, I’ll at least have an extra layer of protection!” Po Kong argued righteously.
“...If I hadn’t been stuck with you for the past few days, I’d swear someone had swapped you for an impostor. This really isn’t like you at all,” Starlight replied, speechless at the forced explanation.
The vendor listening nearby saw his chance. He leaned in with a glint in his eye and said, “Is this your first time heading down, gentlemen? If so, would you like a map of the tomb? It’ll save you a lot of trouble finding your way!”
“You really know how to do business, don’t you? You even have maps of the tomb?” Starlight looked at the vendor in surprise and took the piece of parchment from his hand to examine it.
The map was quite crude; many details were blurry, and the paper was wrinkled. However, Starlight noticed markings for the third underground layer and even some details of the fourth.
“Do you know how many layers there are down there? And who exactly made this map?” Starlight asked curiously.
“Well, we have our ways, but that’s a trade secret. I can’t tell you. But I can guarantee that most of what’s recorded there is accurate. If you want it, it’s just two gold coins!” the vendor said mysteriously.
Seeing the vendor wasn’t going to talk, Starlight sighed and tossed him two gold coins. He stuffed the map into his bag and pulled Po Kong away.
“Do you really believe that guy when he says the map is reliable?” Po Kong whispered, seeing how readily Starlight had paid.
Starlight gave him a sidelong glance. “It’s always better to have a map than not. Besides, didn’t you consider that your holy water might be fake?”
“Ah... well, haha...” Po Kong chuckled awkwardly, realizing he had been a bit impulsive himself, and dropped the subject.
By the time they reached the entrance, the adventurers they had seen earlier were already prepared and had entered the tomb. The surrounding area was now empty.
Looking at the dark, downward-sloping hole before them, the two shared a look and stepped inside without hesitation.
The tomb entrance in the center of District One was a massive, nearly vertical pit. It was originally intended to lead straight to the deepest part of the tomb, but due to years of neglect, it had been completely blocked off at a depth of about ten meters.
Using the power of wind elements, the two landed silently on the ground. Based on the surrounding scene and the depth of their descent, Po Kong judged that they were currently somewhere between the second and third layers.
The adventurers who had just reached the bottom seemed to have explored further through a downward gap, leaving only a few messy footprints on the ground. Without further delay, the two followed the gap downward as well.
Starlight had thought they would quickly catch up with the vanguard, but he had underestimated the sheer size of the tomb.
There was a reason the Violet City-State had designated this entire area as its own district. The two soon witnessed the vastness of the underground space. Even though the interior of the tomb was severely damaged and many passages were blocked, it was not something a few people could explore quickly.
After walking only dozens of meters, they reached a massive fork in the road. Several pitch-black passages, like the gaping maws of giant beasts, loomed before them.
At this point, the light from the outside was negligible. Only a single torch left behind by the group ahead cast a faint, eerie glow. Rows of burial chambers on either side looked exceptionally unsettling in the flickering light.
Starlight waved his hand, summoning several light orbs around them. Finally, they could see their surroundings more clearly.
The tomb was filled with a faint mist condensed from dark elements. Although it wasn't toxic, it greatly hindered the penetration of light. The light orbs Starlight created could only illuminate a distance of about a dozen meters, and the torchlight was even more insignificant.
“Why is there a fork right at the start? Which way should we go, Little Star?” Now that they were down here, Po Kong stopped worrying and instead transformed his bracelet into his dark grey shield, gripping it tightly.
Starlight used the light from the orbs to take out the map he had bought and studied it carefully.
According to the markings on the map, the entire tomb was designed in a large ring shape. In theory, any path would eventually lead to the next layer, but several spots were marked with small 'X's, indicating they were blocked.
Although the fork in front of them looked massive, it was impossible to tell where it was on the blurry map. Left with no choice, Starlight estimated their direction and chose a path heading south.
His reasoning was that if the missing people were truly kidnapped from the sewers, they would inevitably pass through the southern passages. If they searched carefully, they might find some clues.
After ten minutes of steady exploration along this path, the two encountered living creatures for the first time in this underground world.
With a loud crash of crumbling stone, several strange creatures—resembling lizards but with insect-like features—burst out of a nearby burial chamber. They hissed and lunged at the two like arrows released from a bow.
These insect-like monsters were called Grave Hunting Lizards, a common type of monster in the tomb and small creatures born from the influence of demonic aura.
Each Grave Hunting Lizard was about the size of a small dog, covered in rows of sharp spikes. Their disproportionately large, flat mouths were filled with rows of tiny teeth.
Unlike undead creatures that feared the light, these Grave Hunting Lizards were clearly attracted to the light orbs Starlight had created.
But in the eyes of the two men, these low-level monsters were nothing to worry about.
Po Kong simply flicked his left hand, which held the shield, and the two approaching Grave Hunting Lizards were sent flying like sandbags, slamming into the nearby wall with a crisp thud.
At the same time, Starlight commanded the light orbs around him to change shape, turning them into several spikes that precisely riddled the remaining Grave Hunting Lizards with holes.
These few low-level monsters couldn't even make them slow down. They continued forward at a steady pace.
Along the way, they encountered many other types of monsters, such as giant vampire bats and venomous drilling worms, but all were easily dispatched without exception.
The undead creatures Po Kong had been dreading never appeared. Through these skirmishes with low-level monsters, Po Kong gradually regained his confidence.
Later on, he didn't even wait for Starlight to act. As soon as the monsters appeared, they were sliced in two by his longsword.
“I say, Little Star, if the underground only has this kind of trash, isn't it a bit too dull?” Po Kong joked.
He crushed a sharp-headed drilling worm that tried to attack him from the ground with a foot clad in battle qi, then turned to ask. His tone suggested he had returned to his usual self.
“Don’t be in such a hurry. This is only the third layer. We’ve been in here for over an hour, and based on our pace, we’ve covered several kilometers. Yet we haven’t encountered a single living soul. Don't you think that's a bit strange?”
Starlight was still looking at the map. Although the map was crude, it was undoubtedly accurate; they had already used it to avoid two dead ends.
But if they could easily buy this map from a vendor, other adventurers must have made similar preparations. No matter how large the tomb was, they should have seen some signs of other people.
“When you put it that way... it does feel a bit off. But could it be they just didn't take the same path as us? After all, the passages at the entrance were so complex...” Po Kong’s gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked toward the dark corridor ahead, falling into a defensive stance. “Wait! There’s movement up ahead.”
Rate on N.U.
