Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Dead City!

Sophia sighed, her eyebrows knitted in frustration. "I wonder what's happening outside now."She gazed out the window, her eyes filled with unshakable worry.

The longer this dragged on, the more Iron Mountain soldiers would die, and the situation in Beast Forest would spiral further out of control.

Yet here they were, trapped inside this Blood-Sealing Formation, unable to do anything at all.

What made it worse was that they still didn't know who was behind all this.

That was what troubled Sophia the most.

An enemy hidden in the shadows, whose identity and motives remained unknown.

It was terrifying to think about. How could they even begin to counter such an opponent?

Staring at the formation that had left a group of high-tier warriors utterly helpless.

Sophia felt a wave of powerlessness wash over her. Were they really just going to sit here and watch the enemy's plan unfold? Would they have to stand by as the enemy wreaked havoc in Riverfall City and Beast Forest?

For some reason, Luca's face suddenly flashed in her mind.

That guy had a remarkable talent for secret techniques, managing to learn advanced sealing magic in just a few days.

If he were here, perhaps he could offer some help.

But then she shook her head, mocking herself for such a thought.

Luca was just a Bronze Grade professional—what help could he really provide, no matter how talented?

...

At the same time, near the gates of Riverfall City.

Catherine, Luca, and the others had rushed back from Beast Forest at top speed.

As soon as they passed through the city gates, they immediately noticed something unusual about the city.

The once-bustling streets were now eerily empty—not a single person in sight.

"Where did everyone go?" Kaman scratched his head in confusion as he looked at the deserted streets.

"Stay sharp. Something's off," Luca said, frowning deeply.

He could sense something wasn't right.

No matter what was happening outside, there should still have been people in the city.

At the very least, the city guards should still have been around.

But there wasn't a trace of life in Riverfall City now.

The whole city was deathly quiet, like a ghost town.

Even the street vendors had vanished, their stalls closed and shops shut tight.

It was clear that something had gone very wrong.

Catherine had also noticed the strange atmosphere in the city, her expression growing tense. She turned to the group and said in a serious tone, "I'll take Lennard and the others to check things out. You and Luca Witch Doctor stay here and wait."

Before anyone could respond, Luca immediately refused. "We go together. Something's definitely happened here. If we split up, we'll just be walking into danger."

The situation in Riverfall City was different from Beast Forest; they had no idea what had happened here.

Splitting up would only increase the danger, and if something went wrong, the others wouldn't have time to come to their aid.

After considering Luca's suggestion, the group agreed it made sense.

They all decided to stick together and investigate Riverfall City as one unit.

However, the deeper they investigated, the more unsettling the situation became.

No one. There wasn't a single person in sight!

It was as if the entire city had truly become a dead zone—there wasn't a single living soul to be found.

Even the usual rowdy players who populated the streets had completely vanished.

"What in the world is going on?" Lennard's eyes were wide with shock.

Riverfall City was home to hundreds of thousands of people.

Yet now, every last one of them had seemingly vanished into thin air.

It was unbelievable!

The others felt the same creeping fear.

Could it be that all these people… were dead?

That chilling thought made their spines tingle.

Each of them shivered, unable to let the idea settle in their minds.

At that moment, out of the corner of Luca's eye, he noticed a familiar small figure hiding in a corner of the street.

This person had gray hair and a short stature, peeking nervously out from an alley.

If not for Luca's sharp eyesight, he might have missed them entirely.

It was none other than Old Carl, the front desk clerk from the Mages' Association.

Luca's eyes lit up as he shouted, "Old Carl?!"

The sudden shout startled Carl, causing him to flinch in fear.

Panic-stricken, he didn't even dare look back and instinctively bolted, trying to escape.

"Catch him!" Luca yelled quickly.

Old Carl might be their only chance to find out what had happened here, and they couldn't afford to let him get away.

Kaman and the others quickly caught on.

Having finally spotted a living person, there was no way they'd let him slip away so easily.

Catherine led the charge, moving like lightning as she rushed after him.

Surprisingly, the frail-looking Old Carl revealed mid-tier strength, his speed astonishing. Catherine, despite her quick reflexes, struggled to catch him.

"A rogue?" Luca raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He wasn't shocked by Carl's strength. Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The Mages' Association was full of hidden talents, so having a mid-tier professional wasn't unexpected.

What did surprise him was that Carl, who worked at the Mages' Association, turned out to be a rogue by profession.

It left Luca a little speechless.

Shaking his head, Luca activated a silver magic rune underfoot, using his Air Step technique.

His figure vanished in an instant, flickering several times through the air.

Within the blink of an eye, he appeared right beside Old Carl.

"Well, well, old man, you sure can run fast!" Luca chuckled.

Old Carl turned around and saw Luca's smiling face, nearly fainting from fear.

"A ghost!" he screamed in despair, his short legs pumping even faster.

"Get back here!" Luca didn't give him a chance to escape.

He grabbed Old Carl by the shoulder and tossed him over to Catherine.

With swift precision, Catherine pinned the old man to the ground.

No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.

Old Carl was both furious and devastated, shouting, "You Nightmare Cult scum! Lapdogs of the Abyssal Demon Realm! I, Old Carl, would rather die than submit to you!"

His words made everyone's faces change.

"The Nightmare Cult?!" Catherine exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock.

Although the Nightmare Cult had only emerged in recent years, its following had grown rapidly, thanks to their philosophy of Dreams Eternal. They now ranked among the most notorious cults in the Eternal Continent.

No one expected to hear their name in this context.

Luca's eyes narrowed sharply.

The Nightmare Cult—a name all too familiar to him from the future.

Their insidious methods of bewitching people through nightmares had gained a terrifying grip during the hellish apocalypse. Ordinary people found the promise of eternal dreams irresistibly tempting, and the cult's twisted doctrines lured countless followers.

In fact, more humans joined the Nightmare Cult than any other race.

What Luca hadn't anticipated was encountering traces of the cult here, now.

"So, the Nightmare Cult had already begun making moves at this point," Luca thought, his gaze flickering with understanding.

It now made sense why he had found a Nightmare Parasite on Lady Lenna.

At first, he assumed it had escaped from the Abyssal Node.

But now he realized the Nightmare Cult had deliberately planted it on her.

The real question was: What were they trying to achieve in Riverfall City?

Lost in thought, Luca glanced at Old Carl, who was still struggling like a madman. With a frown, he slapped him twice across the face.

"We're not from the Nightmare Cult! We're alive, see for yourself!" Luca said, his voice stern.

The slaps seemed to bring Old Carl back to his senses.

He shuddered, his eyes wide as he looked at the group. "You're really alive?"

No one spoke, but Luca raised his hand again.

Prompting Old Carl to nod furiously."I believe you! I believe you're alive!" he stammered in a panic.

Luca's lips twitched—this old man certainly knew when to give in.

"All right then," Luca said. "Tell us what happened in Riverfall City. How did the Nightmare Cult get involved, and where did everyone go?"

Upon hearing Luca's question, Old Carl's eyes reddened, and he began to wail, "Everyone in Riverfall City has been bewitched by the Nightmare! They're all trapped in their own nightmares now. Miss Sophia and the others are stuck inside the Blood-Sealing Formation and can't get out. Meanwhile, the monster horde in Beast Forest is rampaging out of control. Riverfall City is doomed!"

Old Carl cried with snot and tears streaming down his face, a pitiful sight.

But no one paid him much attention. Catherine and the others stood frozen, their minds reeling from the shock.

They had only been gone to Beast Forest for two days.

Yet, in such a short time, so much had happened in Riverfall City.

"So that's what's been going on!" Luca finally understood.

No wonder there had been no word or movement from Riverfall City's powerful figures.

Sophia and her team were trapped by a forbidden magic, and everyone else had been pulled into nightmares by the Nightmare Cult.

With most of the players and forces from Emerald State in Beast Forest, it was no wonder the city had been so eerily silent.

Catherine, now filled with urgency, asked, "Where is everyone now? We searched before, but we couldn't find any trace of them. And if everyone else has fallen into nightmares, how are you unaffected? Where are the Nightmare Cult members?"

The flurry of questions left Old Carl dazed and confused. It took him a moment to respond.

Especially as Luca raised his hand again.

He prompting Carl to speak faster."We weren't in Riverfall City when it happened, so we weren't affected. We moved everyone we could to the Mages' Association—there's a protective magic there that keeps it safe. As for the Nightmare Cultists, they spread the Nightmare and then went to Beast Forest,"

Old Carl explained hurriedly.Everyone's faces grew darker at this.

The Nightmare Cult had gone to Beast Forest?

"What are they doing in Beast Forest?" Catherine asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Old Carl shook his head. "I don't know. I came out to find food."

Luca's eyes narrowed slightly.

A thought began to take shape in his mind.

Could these dream-dwelling pests be planning to release the Lord of Nightmares, Jormungandr, under the cover of all this chaos?