“You don't get it, do you? Those are the World Titles of the Vampire Clan Leader and the Forest Elf Clan Leader.”
“World Titles? Just hearing them tells you they're not to be trifled with.”
“I won't even start on the Zealot. Just looking at that bizarre blood moon over Emerald Ridge is enough to tell you that person's wired differently. As for the Tyrant of Delight, her track record... let's just say she once burned down an entire dungeon.”
“...Burned down an entire dungeon? How does that even work?”
“Heaven knows. Anyway, it's true. Apparently, she burned up so many magic items that the loot drops were pathetic, and she got kicked out of her clearing team for it.”
“You guys are making me nervous. Those three female devils getting together... they must be planning something big.”
“To those of you discussing this—please, tell me which Adventurers' Guild they showed up at. If it's near me, I'm packing my bags and leaving.”
“Desolate Bone Basin.”
“Huh?”
“They gathered in the Desolate Bone Basin.”
“Oh, is that so? Haha, well, good luck to everyone in the Desolate Bone Basin then.”
Phew—
A collective sigh of relief swept across the world channel once people realized where Lan Qingyou and the others had gathered.
The reason was simple: they weren't in the Desolate Bone Basin themselves.
As long as it wasn't their own district, they didn't care who else suffered. “Better them than me” was the prevailing sentiment.
Blessings to everyone in the Desolate Bone Basin—sending love from other districts.
Despite the initial panic, the matter eventually settled down for most.
Except for the residents of the Desolate Bone Basin, who remained anxious and lost sleep over it, everyone else's interest faded after about three minutes.
However, a week later, some attentive observers brought the topic back up.
That evening, as people returned home from work to eat and chat, a shocking rumor began to spread on the world channel.
“Have you heard? That Witch apparently died in some dungeon.”
“The Witch?”
“The Witch of the Tower.”
“What! She's dead?”
“Not sure. But remember how the witches and the others went to the Desolate Bone Basin a week ago? Word is they gathered to enter a dungeon, and it's been a week without them coming out. People are guessing they died inside.”
“Is this info legit?”
“I can't guarantee that part, but I can guarantee it's been a week and they haven't come out.”
And it was true.
The portal itself was gone. How could they possibly come out?
“Tsk...”
“You might as well have said nothing.”
Those hoping for some juicy drama couldn't help but look down on this leaker.
Granted, staying in a dungeon for a week was a long time.
But it wasn't unheard of.
If it was a massive dungeon or particularly troublesome monsters, clearing it could certainly take a while.
However, according to the intel, the Witch of the Tower wasn't alone; she had two other Clan Leaders and hundreds of vampires and witches with her.
For such a large force to take this long, it definitely pointed to a problem.
Either the dungeon was too big and the monsters too strong, or something had gone wrong during the run.
In short,
Both the onlookers looking for entertainment and those with hidden agendas sneered at the leaker for failing to provide concrete information.
Surprisingly, as time went on, the rumor began to feel more and more real.
At first, a week of absence didn't mean much.
But after two weeks, then three, and finally a whole month without a word, the discussions on the world channel grew louder.
Especially since someone saw the vampires and witches gathering—
Especially after the Vampire, Witch, and Forest Elf races all remained tight-lipped about their respective leaders, suspicions deepened.
“I just got some intel. The Witch of the Tower and her group went to a dungeon in the Desolate Bone Basin called the Gloomy Forest. Does anyone know that place?”
“The Gloomy Forest? So that's where they went?”
“To think they actually went to that dungeon...”
“What's wrong with that dungeon? Why are you guys from the Desolate Bone Basin acting like that?”
Seeing the locals being so cryptic and sarcastic, the curious onlookers narrowed their eyes, hoping for some major gossip.
“To sum up that dungeon in one word: disgusting. Even the locals wouldn't set foot in there if they were starving to death.”
“Huh? Disgusting?”
The onlookers ignored the “one word” discrepancy and focused entirely on the word “disgusting.”
“That's a vivid description. Care to elaborate?”
“The dungeon is a forest with a high mound in the center. It's fine at first, but the closer you get to that mound, the higher the monster levels get. They become increasingly troublesome and hard to kill.”
“Hard to kill? What does that mean?”
“It means they won't die. Decapitation, bisection—none of it works. They just drag their half-bodies around and keep jumping, like earthworms. It's incredibly revolting.”
“Like earthworms? Yeah, that sounds pretty nasty.”
While they mentioned earthworms, no one was foolish enough to take it literally.
Context clues allowed everyone to vividly imagine the unsettling nature of the combat even without being there.
One becomes two, two becomes four... According to the locals, a single monster could eventually split into seventeen or eighteen pieces.
If the monster was larger, it might split into twenty, thirty, or even forty pieces.
And they just wouldn't stay dead.
The mere thought of such a scene made everyone's hair stand on end.
“The Gloomy Forest... I wondered why I didn't see the portal when I passed by recently. It looks like something really did happen to their clearing party.”
“Huh? You were there?”
“Yeah, I passed by three days ago and didn't see the portal. I thought I'd taken a wrong turn, but thinking back, it makes sense now. The portal is just gone.”
...
“Have you still not found a way into the dungeon?”
Inside the mountaintop castle beneath the blood moon, Lilith sat with a grim face, questioning the vampire kneeling before her.
“Forgive me, Your Grace, but we have yet to find a way.”
“Tsk. Then tell them to hurry up. We must find a way into that dungeon and bring Her Eminence back, no matter what.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Having received his orders, the subordinate turned into a cloud of mist and vanished from the room.
Lilith sat in silence for a moment before rising and walking to the window, her brow furrowed as she looked up at the crimson moon in the sky.
Rate on N.U.
