Ding
A sharp sound echoed in Arthur's mind, drawing his attention to the glowing blue screen hovering before him.
[5000 Sacrifice Milestone Achieved!]
[Conditions for Quest Generation Met!]
"What the hell?"
Arthur muttered, his brows closing together in confusion. "5000 sacrifices? When the fuck did I kill that many?"
The screen's message remained unmoved, indifferent to his disbelief.
While Arthur's frown deepened as he tried to piece together how this may have happened.
Then it struck him.
'Of course. That bastard. I told him to keep things low-key and build a small organization, if possible. Not to fucking go around committing mass murders,' His irritation surged, as he cursed under his breath.
'5000 people!! Seriously? That number is just insane, Now I'm in for more trouble. Great, just great.'
It wasn't long before he had a throat-to-throat encounter with the Phoenix Guild, and all because of the mere ten lives he'd taken without considering the consequences.
For that he killed a Guild member, leading to the never-ending chain of the Guild's pursuit of him.
If nothing, from this experience he had learned an important lesson, every action has its consequences.
And he won't kill even a single soul before considering it twelve times ~
But now, here he was again, not mere no. Like 10 but this time whole 5000 lives on his name.
Just thinking about the aftermaths he would face, made his jaw tightened as frustration bubbled up. Before he could sink further into his thoughts, Claire's voice cut through the tense silence.
"Master," she said, her tone calm but serious. "I found something on the fallen pillar."
Arthur turned to face her as his curiosity piqued.
"What did it say?"
"This dungeon was originally created as a prison for powerful mages. Over ten thousand were imprisoned here."
"A prison for mages?"
Before he could ask more, another system prompt flashed before him.
[Quest Generated: Kill the Fire Witch.]
[Reward: Access to the Summon Shop!]
[Penalty: None.]
Arthur's gaze lingered on the final line, his brow furrowing in suspicion. "No penalty?" he murmured. "That's odd. If the Fire Witch is a boss monster, shouldn't the penalty be something like death or being trapped in the dungeon forever?"
He rubbed his chin as he thought over, "Does that mean she isn't actually the boss here?"
Arthur's gaze than fell on the quest reward displayed on the screen. 'Summon Shop? Sounds useful,' he thought.
"Are you feeling alright, or what?"
Ruth's voice cut through his thoughts, her irritated gaze fixed on him. From her perspective, Arthur's expressions had been shifting weirdly time to time, thanks to the system screen visible only to him.
Arthur dismissed the screen with a wave of his hand and stepped closer to her. "It's nothing. I was just think—!!"
His words were abruptly cut off when a white collar materialized around Ruth's neck. The collar began glowing faintly, and a thin chain extended from it, pulling her slowly but steadily toward the path ahead.
"What's this? Arc, help!" Ruth's voice trembled as she tugged at the chain. Her eyes widened in alarm. "This thing is draining my mana!"
Arthur's eyes widened in shock, his attention snapping to the source of the chain. Without hesitation, he turned to Claire.
"Claire, see if you can break it!"
Following Arthur's instruction Claire placed her hands on the chain, channeling her aura into it to probe its origin.
But as it traced it, her expression visibly shifted to one of concern.
"Master, the chain is deeply connected to her mana core. If I force it, there's a chance it could even damage the core."
"Noooo! Fucking noooo! Waitttttt!!"
Ruth's scream tore through the air, her earlier somewhat composure instantly shattered when she realized it could lead to permanent damage.
The sheer panic in her voice even froze Arthur in place for a brief moment.
"Ruth, calm down," Arthur said, his voice steady but firm. "This is just a D-grade dungeon. It shouldn't be that hard to deal with."
Ruth's breathing was heavy and her voice was laced with desperation. "So, what's your plan, Arc? This thing is draining my mana fast!"
"You don't have any other option but to be patient until we find the dungeon boss,"
Arthur said firmly, his voice calm but indifferent as he turned and began walking forward. "Ruth, you mentioned that this place looks like a mansion to you, right?"
Ruth frowned, her brows knitting together as she nodded. "Yes, that's what I see."
"Alright," Arthur replied. "For us, it's just a ruined structure. Maybe the dungeon is showing you an illusion because you're a mage."
"Why would I be the only one seeing this illusion? Aren't you a summoner?" Ruth asked, her tone suspicious but more curious than accusatory.
Arthur met her confused gaze with an indifferent shrug. "My case is… different."
"How?"
"We don't have time to discuss that right now," Arthur said abruptly, brushing off her question.
"Tell me. What do you see ahead? Where is the chain leading?"
Though clearly irritated by his reluctance to answer, Ruth quickly dismissed her frustration and turned her attention to the direction the chain was pulling her. "It's leading to something like a grand chamber," she said after a moment.
"A grand chamber?"
"Yes. What do you see?"
"Nothing but dark, endless woods," Arthur replied, signalling for her to keep moving. "Let's go."
"Is it really a good idea to follow where the dungeon wants us to go?"
"For now, yes," Arthur said with a decisive nod.
And as he suggested, the group walked forward, venturing deeper into the dark woods.
To Arthur and Claire, it was nothing more than a shadowy forest, but Ruth's expression grew darker with each step.
Suddenly, Ruth froze, her eyes wide with terror. "No! Stop it!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the dark silence.
Arthur and Claire spun around only to see Ruth's clothes being slowly fall on the ground.
Like someone was undressing her.