There was no need for doubt!
The Red Rose team had truly struck it rich.
Serafina saw her dream of becoming a high-born lady coming true. No, it shouldn't be like this! Her dream was clearly to become a legendary adventurer!
Who was it? Who had planted that dream in her head? It was ruining her!
The members of the Red Rose team couldn't help but indulge in their own fantasies.
But just then, a tiny sound interrupted their daydreams.
A small crack appeared on the pure white bone plate.
Then, more and more cracks spread, and its color grew increasingly dim.
The white bone plate seemed to age countless years in an instant, looking as if it were about to crumble.
In a heartbeat, their fantasies were shattered.
It seemed this bone plate couldn't be used indefinitely.
Sob... my dream of being a high-born lady... forget it, becoming the strongest legendary adventurer is my real dream.
Despite thinking that, the dejection was written all over Serafina's face.
Everyone else shared the same expression.
“It can only be used one more time. The mana inside can only support three activations,” Leoward said with a long face.
Hearing that the bone plate could only be used once more, they looked at the hot springs filled with protruding snake bone pillars.
Everyone in the Red Rose team felt like they were standing in a pile of treasure but couldn't take a single bite.
Curse it!
Curse this Well of Eternal Imprisonment!
“One last time is better than nothing. Three cards of this strength already make it worth the trip.”
“Leoward, use the last one.”
Leoward nodded reluctantly and activated the effect one last time.
Another mote of light flew out from the bone plate. This time, the plate shattered completely, turning into dim bone dust and vanishing.
Ignoring the heartache of losing the treasure, the group chased after the mote of light.
They found that this time, the light didn't merge into any of the snake bone pillars. Instead, it continued deeper into the hot springs.
They didn't have time to wonder why and followed closely behind the light.
Isolde had already raised his shield, ready to respond to any sudden attacks.
The others quickly maintained their formation and drew their weapons.
They watched as the mote of light floated forward, eventually landing on a stone pedestal in the center of the snake bone pillars.
Beside the pedestal sat a monster merchant.
The monster merchant looked at the floating light, let out a surprised sound, and reached out to catch it in his palm.
The group came to a halt immediately.
Although monster merchants were neutral creatures and there were no reports of them actively attacking adventurers, the current environment and the merchant's actions made the Red Rose team very wary.
The mote of light darted around in the merchant's open palm, but every time it tried to escape, it hit an invisible barrier and was forced back.
“To think that the Ruins of the Sinful Bone would welcome visitors, and ones carrying lost power fragments at that.”
“Resuscitating the skeleton of that sinful snake is no good thing.”
The monster merchant slowly stood up and looked at the members of the Red Rose team.
“Ruins of the Sinful Bone? Resuscitating the sinful snake?”
The sudden influx of information caught everyone's attention.
The monster merchant didn't seem inclined to say more. He opened his palm and released the mote of light.
The light circled once before darting toward a nearby snake bone pillar.
The rocky exterior of the pillar quickly fell away, revealing the pure white bone beneath. It shrank continuously until it turned into a card.
The Red Rose team didn't move, but the monster merchant simply waved his hand, and the card flew into his grasp.
Serafina wanted to speak, but she eventually bit her tongue.
While monster merchants weren't exceptionally powerful, almost no adventurers in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment would attack one now.
Their drops were mediocre, and doing so would trigger their hatred, making it impossible to trade with any monster merchant in the dungeon.
In the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, that was a massive loss.
It was equivalent to permanently losing the ability to open treasure chests.
“The Forbidden Fire fluctuates, and the sinful snake stirs, using its power to tempt adventurers into resuscitating it.”
“Prisoners, one and all... do you still wish to recklessly break the shackles of eternal imprisonment?”
The monster merchant looked at the card in his hand, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. Finally, he sighed and tossed the card back into Serafina's hand.
“Since the power for resuscitation has been exhausted, you should leave. Lingering too long in a pile of sinful bones is not a good thing.”
However, Serafina's attention was now entirely captured by the merchant.
Her intuition told her that the monster merchant before her held very important information.
Having become an excellent adventurer of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, Serafina quickly took out her money pouch.
She generously presented a magic crystal coin.
However...
There was no reaction!
My god, is one magic crystal coin not enough? Are the requirements for triggering this quest so high?
Serafina gritted her teeth and took out another magic crystal coin.
The monster merchant still didn't react, as if he couldn't even see them.
Enough, that's enough! This is the last one! This is my limit!
After a difficult struggle, Serafina gritted her teeth and took out a third coin.
“Sigh...”
A long sigh sounded, and the monster merchant looked at them once more.
“Are you truly so obsessed with a prisoner of eternal imprisonment?”
“What can you gain from pursuing things of eternal imprisonment? The shackles themselves?”
“Very well, then.”
The monster merchant took a monocle from his robes, wiped it, and placed it over his eye.
Even though he was stationed in these Ruins of the Sinful Bone, following the trends of the Lord of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was very important!
“What do you wish to know?”
“What is this place? What are these snake bone pillars? What is the Sinful Snake of Eternal Imprisonment? Why did you say we were resuscitating the snake bones, and what are those lost power fragments of the sinful snake!”
Serafina asked in a rush, firing off a string of questions.
Three magic crystal coins! Three magic crystal coins!
With how expensive they were now, she had thrown away three at once. She had to get her money's worth no matter what!
“This place is called the Ruins of the Sinful Bone. it is where the molted bones of the Sinful Snake of Eternal Imprisonment lie.”
“The Sinful Snake of Eternal Imprisonment is twenty kilometers long. It travels through barriers and space, eternally confined within the Well of Eternal Imprisonment. It is also the patrolling snake that wanders through the various floors.”
“The Sinful Snake of Eternal Imprisonment was meant to be imprisoned forever. However, as the Forbidden Fire fluctuated, its shackles were tainted by the fire.”
“Now, the snake's power flows continuously from the gaps burned by the Forbidden Fire, turning into power fragments.”
“These power fragments are the means the sinful snake uses to resuscitate itself.”
“But the rules of eternal imprisonment do not allow prisoners to overstep. Thus, the power of resuscitation is transformed into these confined cards.”
So... that was it.
A twenty-kilometer-long Sinful Snake of Eternal Imprisonment... what kind of power was that!
“Adventurers, those who crave the power of the sinful snake will ultimately be consumed by it.”
Rate on N.U.
