Chapter 28

Chapter 28

For nearly half an hour, we trailed behind No-name along the city walls perimeter.

"Dont trust an unknown entity so easily! This could be a trap!"

Lucas had been nagging me consistently, his warnings sounding like clockwork every five minutes. Was he a human metronome, his concerns chiming exactly on the fifth minute?

"Its fine, I told you. Lets just follow for now."

I placated Lucas and guided our party onwards.

After what seemed like an eternity, No-name abruptly halted. The party members, caught off guard, all came to an abrupt stop, their weapons raised in anticipation.

"Here."

No-name indicated the city wall. On closer inspection, a derelict water facility was revealed. It had long ceased its function, dried out entirely.

No-name led the way into the disused drain.

"Inside here, a path leads to the city. Be careful, its slippery."

We had to stoop low to navigate the narrow drain, and after about five minutes, the space expanded. As I straightened my back to examine our surroundings, a system notification appeared, informing us of our new location.

[Zone 1: The Dried Sewer]

We had finally reached the first zone of the Lake Kingdom dungeon.

This area was the convergence point of the citys entire water system. Devoid of any hint of moisture, the maze-like network of drains extended outwards.

A constant illumination spell had been cast on the magic stone embedded in the ceiling, brightly lighting up the space.

Beneath that magic stone, a mound of stones, akin to the ones found in my mansions backyard, was piled up.

As I approached and made contact with it, the stones began to churn and rise, activating the teleportation gate in the process.

[Zone 1: The Dried Sewer connection point has been established!]

Connection point.

It was a monster-free safe zone, typically installed at the starting point of each zone.

Once the teleportation gate was activated, we could resume our exploration from this point next time.

The standard practice of open exploration was to discover the hidden connection points throughout the city, link the teleportation gates, and repeat the cycle of exploration and return.

As Lilly confirmed that the teleportation gate had been activated, she implored me, her eyes wide with fright.

"Cant I return from here?! Please?!"

"Nope, you cant."

Did she think wed lugged all these supplies and assembled a full party only to pave the way up to here? We needed to at least clear one zone before departing.

As I attempted to calm the increasingly panicked Lilly, No-name, who had been standing in the distance, spoke with an air of detachment.

"My guidance ends here. From now on, your path forward must be of your own choosing."

"Thank you for leading us this far, No-name."

After a moment of hesitation, No-name released a deep sigh.

"I warn you. This Lake Kingdom is wholly steeped in nightmares. The further you proceed, the darker it will become, and the monsters will grow increasingly formidable."

Her usually dry voice carried a note of genuine concern this time.

"But if you are determined to venture into the abyss, I have a piece of advice."

No-name whispered, punctuating each word for emphasis.

"Never, ever, extinguish the flame."

"..."

"I hope there are blessings on your journey ahead."Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com

With those words lingering in the air, the nameless woman slowly receded into the darkness until she vanished entirely.

Lucas, who had been observing the nameless woman with a cautious gaze until her departure, mumbled.

"Whats her story? How does she exist in a city beneath this lake?"

"Well...."

At that moment, Damien, who was huddled close behind me, voiced his fear in a trembling tone.

"Prince. This darkness feels peculiar. I cant see beyond it with my own eyes. Its as if... the darkness itself is alive."

"...."

"But how does that woman... navigate this darkness without a torch?"

I found myself unable to provide an answer.

There were innumerable mysteries in this dungeon, still unknown to even me, someone who had conquered this game on its highest difficulty setting.

But there was one thing I knew for sure.

"Well encounter her again. We can ask her then."

In this underwater domain, our paths were bound to cross once more.

Whether as foes or allies, in whatever circumstance.

***

At our first base, we hastily finished our preparations.

We quenched our thirst with water, each taking a morsel from our stock of preserved food.

"Can, can, can, can I really get home safely....?"

Apart from Lilly, who was trembling in fear, everyone else appeared composed.

Jupiter tenderly comforted the frightened Lilly.

"Fret not, miss. Ill ensure your safety."

"Re, really? Are you, Jupiter, going to protect me?"

"Of course, just trust in me."

Just as I was pondering over Jupiters unusual warmth,

And as for me? What was my role?

Well, simply to enjoy the unfolding spectacle. I reclined, observing with a relaxed posture.

Squeak!

Squeak squeak!

The horde of colossal sewer rats, eyes ablaze with a menacing red, attacked from every direction.

In response, Damien released a volley of arrows from his crossbow.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The arrows, slicing effortlessly through the air, struck their targets precisely, hitting the rats eyes.

Squeak?!

Thud!

The body of a rat, felled in a single strike, rolled lifelessly on the floor with a dull thud.

Yet, as I had pointed out numerous times, Damiens aim was sharp, but not swift.

By the time the third rat was felled by an arrow, the rest had already swarmed Lucas.

Ugh!

With a broad arc, Lucas slashed his sword through the air.

Flash-!

With the swords radiance, the lead rats throat was sliced open, and it toppled over.

Lucass level was already an impressive 29. As expected of a top-tier character, his stat progression was remarkable.

In terms of abilities, the rats were hopelessly outmatched.

Flash! Flash-!

Each time the swords luminescence cleaved through the darkness and flickered, a rat sprayed blood and fell over.

The hulking rats couldnt breach Lucass defensive front, and they sequentially fell to Lucass sword and Damiens precise arrows.

Thus, in a relatively short span, every rat had been dispatched.

Lucas flicked the blood from his blade, and Damien, exhaling a sigh, lowered his crossbow.

I chuckled.

You all did splendidly~ It wasnt much trouble, was it?

Indeed. It was less stressful than anticipated.

Damien responded with a faintly weary smile.

The foes we had previously encountered included the Black Spider Legion and the Living Armor Legion.

In comparison to those menacing adversaries, these rats almost seemed endearing.

Just then, Lucas, who was inspecting the lifeless rats, beckoned me.

There are thirteen in total, Your Highness. Should we collect the magic stones?

No. The grade is low, and there wont be many... Wait a minute.

My words halted abruptly. Thirteen?

I was positive that the games info window had specified fourteen....

Chirp-!

In that instant.

A shriek echoed from above.

?!

Startled, I looked up, locking gazes with the blood-red eyes of a creature plummeting from the ceiling.

The final giant rat. It had cunningly used the ceilings darkness to approach and was now launching itself directly at me.

Most likely, it had singled me out due to my lower level.

Your Highness?!

Damn it, too late...!

Damien and Lucas cried out in alarm.

It was too late for Jupiter and Lilly to conjure their spells.

The rat was too close to me, if they invoked their magic now, I would be caught in the crossfire.

What to do? How should I-

Then it dawned on me. I remembered the glove I was wearing.

The top-tier luck-based weapon, Lucky Strike.

As I thought about it, it was right there on my hand.

The situation was dire, and my decision swift.

Screw it!

It was do or die!

No matter how strategically you play a game, there comes a point where you must entrust your fate to the toss of a coin.

Believing this to be such a moment, I launched my fist forward with all my might.

My fist met the rats jaw, and...

Ding.

In that moment, a slot machine interface materialized in the periphery of my vision. What?!

Three panels featuring numbers from 0 to 7 spun vertically at a rapid pace, then halted one after another. Ding. Ding. Ding!

And the numbers that were revealed were...