The Meaning of Sacrifice

Salin had actually died. Despite taking such great risks to save one person, in the end, nothing was gained.

Lynch felt unavoidably frustrated, but he tightened his grip on the round fan to steady himself, then led the now-dull-eyed Judy out of their shared barracks.

Fog had rolled in at some point. The valley was thick with it, obscuring vision beyond five meters and making even the sun appear hazy and indistinct.

It was just past seven, and the courtyard was already crowded. All the workers had come out, and the other four archaeological team members were gathered there as well, creating a scene of chaotic confusion.

A worker who had woken up early to prepare for the day had discovered Salin's body while fetching water from the lake. Upon returning to wake his comrades, he realized six people from one of the barracks had vanished. The ensuing alarm had woken everyone up.

This included the other four members of the archaeological team.

The four displayed a perfectly measured level of surprise, acting as if nothing at all had happened the night before.

However, Lynch had already figured it out. During those few seconds of lightning-fast combat last night, everyone in the archaeological team had been directly or indirectly involved.

According to his deductions, the light represented Rooney, guiding others to discover Salin, while Judy had been the first to notice and had played her hand through Lynch. The mouse represented Jack Adams, who had been secretly tailing and spying before being captured by Glaaki and forced to cut off his own tail to survive. The vine represented Karl Jones, whose sneak attack had almost succeeded.

On the surface, the only one who hadn't participated was Dr. Jenna. But Lynch already understood some basic rules of the mystery world, one of which was that any anomaly had a deeper cause.

If the other six were all behaving abnormally and only one person seemed normal, then that person was the anomaly, and there was certainly a reason for it.

The rare and terrifying Glaaki appearing inexplicably in the lake, the unknown details of the ritual, and Dr. Jenna, the core of the archaeological team... all the clues suddenly connected.

This woman was likely highly suspicious. She might even be Prince William's mole, and Glaaki's appearance, even if she hadn't summoned it, was certainly related to her. Although he couldn't be certain, he had to be cautious.

"Doctor, there is definitely something wrong here. A group of people died here a few years ago, and now trouble starts as soon as we arrive, plus six people are missing. Let's retreat to the village outside the mountains first."

"That's right, Mr. Jones, this place is too terrifying. Let's pull out."

Several lead workers were wringing their hands in anxiety, surrounding Dr. Jenna and shouting in a cacophony of voices.

"With fog this thick, do you want to leave the mountains or just walk to your deaths?" Karl Jones was disheveled, still wearing the doctor's lipstick mark on his face, but his expression remained calm. "Finish your tasks first, remember not to leave the camp, and wait for the fog to lift before we decide what to do. Otherwise, you'll all fall to your deaths on the road."

Hearing that they weren't being stopped and realizing the logic in his words, the workers' panic was gradually brought under control. They obeyed Karl Jones's orders and began preparing their tools, giving the six members of the archaeological team a chance to gather in secret.

"It actually started to fog, and it's so thick," Karl returned to the group quickly, his expression grave. "Last night it was said we would know where the entrance was today. Could this fog be what it meant?"

"I have the same intelligence as you, little Karl." Dr. Jenna was fiddling with some instruments resembling sextants, seemingly indifferent, and spoke without raising her head. "But given such bizarre events, it would be abnormal if it were unrelated, so there's nothing strange about it. What interests me is that Salin actually died. Did any of you notice any abnormal behavior from him over the past few days?"

"No."

The few looked at each other, shaking their heads with blank expressions.

"We were companions, after all. Even if not for the sake of completing the ritual, we need to clarify the cause of his death." Dr. Jenna set down her instruments and sighed softly. "Let's go take a look at his situation first, then we can consider the tomb entrance when we return."

Hiss, do you not know what is in the lake?

Lynch felt a tightness in his chest, but seeing the others nod in silent agreement, he maintained a mysterious smile and said nothing. After all, if Glaaki came out, it wouldn't target just him. If they weren't worried, what did he have to fear?

The pervasive fog made it difficult to see the small lake clearly. The group approached the shore cautiously until they were very close, noticing a dark, lump-like object lying by the water. It was undoubtedly Salin's corpse.

"It is said the fog started in the morning. The workers passed by the lake several times and didn't notice Salin's body; they only found it when they accidentally stepped on him the last time." Dr. Jenna sighed, saying regretfully, "I didn't let them move the body; I just wanted everyone to see it."

"I'll take a look. You watch the surroundings, especially the lake. With all this fog, who knows what might be hiding there."

Karl Jones gripped his estoc and moved forward cautiously. Lynch thought for a moment and followed. Karl didn't refuse; he knelt by the body and put on gloves, beginning a practiced examination.

The deceased was indeed Salin, lying face down on the rocks by the lake. His body was dry, though slightly damp from the mist.

The skin was pale and bloodless. The fatal wound was in his chest. There was a round hole where the heart should be, but strangely, his clothes were not stained with blood, as if no blood had flowed from the wound at all.

Apart from that, there were only a few fresh scrapes on his limbs, which hadn't even been treated.

After reporting all this, Karl Jones gestured for others to look, then stepped aside, pressing his hand to his sword hilt to keep watch.

Lynch did not lean down but simply shook his round fan.

【Authority, Death, Ability, Death Omen.】

The ability activated, and his vision changed.

This time, it went quite smoothly. In the black and white vision, there was no fog, and everything was clear. Lynch saw a figure stumbling toward the lake.

The black and white figure, the staggering pace, the dazed expression, the muttering lips, and the eerie process gave Lynch the feeling of watching a ghost crawling out of a well.

The figure stopped at the lakeside, fell to its knees with a thud, and faced the water directly. Then, a spike shot out from the lake, piercing directly into Salin's heart, and the spike began to squirm and contract rhythmically.

However, a few seconds later, the dazed Salin seemed to wake up suddenly. He raised a dagger, hesitated for a moment, and then slashed at the spike without further delay.

The next moment, a massive body emerged from the center of the lake, filling the entire black and white field of vision.

Bang.

Lynch, in his feminine attire, took two steps back, clutching his forehead and frowning slightly. His expression turned grim.

You all want to act? I'm not playing with you anymore.

"There's something in the lake." Lynch's voice was calm but carried a faint hint of dissatisfaction. "It's Glaaki."

Hiss~~

The group stepped back simultaneously, all seemingly shocked. Karl Jones's face changed drastically, and he whispered, "It really does look like the marks left by Glaaki's spikes, but how? If he was attacked by Glaaki, how could he be dead?"

"No, if you cut the flesh spike before being converted into a servant, it will interrupt the conversion and lead to direct death."

The refined Rooney also wore a tense expression, but his words were as certain as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

"How could Glaaki appear here? Jenna, Karl, did Howard not mention this to you?"

The bearded Jack Adams's face flushed red, and he roared loudly:

"Damn it, they never told me I would have to face this kind of mysterious creature."

"Never said a word."

For a moment, there was chaos by the lake. Lynch couldn't tell which of them was telling the truth and which was acting. His head felt incredibly confused, but at that moment, Judy, who had been following behind him clutching her books, suddenly said faintly, "The fog."

"Hm? You're awake?" The group was surprised, especially Jack, who subconsciously stopped his performance.

"The fog is drifting up from the center of the lake."

"Hell, it really is." Jack stepped back and looked. "Damn it, I suspect the disappearance of the six workers and Salin's death were sacrifices to open the door. That's why Glaaki appeared and the fog emerged. The door must be in the lake."

Rooney immediately countered: "Wrong. How do you explain the rock wall on the other side? Those six yesterday died in front of the rock wall."

That's right, the rock wall. Let's go look there first. At least we won't have to go into the lake and face Glaaki.

Struck by the realization, the group of six immediately left the lakeside and hurried toward the rock wall from before.

Not long after, the six crossed the woods, and the rock wall loomed before them.

It was the same rock wall as yesterday, but the smooth surface had split open to both sides, revealing a massive cave behind it. Thick fog poured out in great billows from the entrance, making the vision increasingly hazy.

Well, the British Three-Wastes and some minor characters with no standing, I'll kick them out of the evil god roster.