Chapter 281: Deadly warning.

Zyra brushed off Bianca’s hand. "Yes, Bianca, we are following the natives. I don’t sense any hostility from them, only a willingness to help. Before leaving, I will give them some meat or fruits."

"Or gold." Bullet muttered. "Dragons like gold."

"They are not dragons." Elfy pointed out.

Zyra took a few steps forward, and the rest followed her. The winged dragon snakes moved ahead of them, their long bodies moving with a grace both eerie and majestic, each flick of their tails stirring the poisonous mist around them.

Zyra wasn’t just following them blindly; her eyes scanned every shadowed root, every hanging vine, and every subtle shift in the dim light. It wasn’t that she trusted the snakes blindly, she just wanted to finish this mission as soon as possible and move on to the next dungeon. Better yet, be safe in her home before the plague swept across the nations rapidly.

"We’ve been walking for ages," Etania muttered, wiping sweat from her forehead. She leaned closer to Zyra. "Are you sure these guides actually know where they’re going? Or are we just wandering the same places we’ve been? I can swear that we have been here before."

Bullet chuckled, his loud voice booming through the trees. "We haven’t, I have left clues just in case. These snakes know this part of the jungle better than we know our own pockets."

"Get off sucker" Bianca slapped a baby coil snake right off her shoulder armor. The tiny reptile hissed indignantly before scampering into the brush. "I hate forests." Bianca groaned, rolling her shoulders. "Too many leaves, too many bugs, and way too much going on. I am going to smell like wet moss for a week."

"You think the ghost mines would have been a better fit for you then." Elfy asked sarcastically.

Bianca shuddered, "Anything to do with ghost? Count me out."

"Why are they called the ghost mines anyway?" Etania asked.

Bullet sighed heavily. "The mines collapsed many years ago, before you were born. About three hundred low-borns that were brought there to mine energy stones were buried inside. The place has been creepy since then. The saddest part was that no energy stone was found there after the tragedy. That is how it became known as the ghost mines."

"Who was in charge of the operation?" A curious Zyra asked.

"Trinity, of course," Bullet snorted. "She buried the scandal under some Soul maiden fashion show!!" He laughed dryly for a few seconds, "I think that was the beginning of the fall of soul maidens."

"Trinity is the most heartless creature that I have ever met." Etania said bitterly. She continued to tell them how soul maidens were left the die on the island.

Zyra stopped dead in her tracks. She raised a hand, stopping the group, and glared at the lead dragon snake. "Hey. You at the front. How much further?"

Before the snake could do more than flick its tongue, heavy, unhurried footsteps echoed through the dense foliage. They weren’t even trying to be quiet.

A crisp notification flashed in her vision: [System Warning: Armed human presence detected ahead.]

"Shh!" Zyra snapped, her eyes narrowing.

"I wouldn’t go that way if I were you," a smooth voice called out from the mist.

The bushes parted, revealing a man who looked out of place in a dank dungeon. He had short, neatly styled brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a jawline sharp enough to cut wood. His clothes were spotlessly clean. His chest armor was hugging a broad-shouldered, athletic frame that screamed combat expert. This wasn’t some random scrub; he was someone with means and money and maybe...influence.

Bianca made a little dance with her brows. "Who is the hottie?"

"The name’s Neil," the handsome brunette said, giving them a relaxed, charming smile.

Zyra crossed her arms, her gaze cool and suspicious. "Great. Nice to meet you, Neil. Now keep walking and don’t mind us."

Neil chuckled, unfazed by her cold tone. "Just trying to be helpful, gorgeous. If you keep heading down that path, you’ll walk straight into the Bone Nest. Not a great place for a picnic. I know this place quite well." He flashed his map.

Zyra glanced down at the lead dragon snake. "Is he lying?"

The snake gave a slight nod and let out a low hiss. He speaks the truth, boss. But the roots you seek are right past that nest.

To everyone else, the snake was just making raspy reptilian noises, but Neil watched the interaction with growing curiosity. That kind of focus could not be written off.

"Fascinating," Neil murmured, his eyes tracking the snakes coiled casually around the party’s boots. "How are you controlling those things? Beasts aren’t exactly known for being friendly, even this particular type which is known for being harmless."

A short haired blonde woman walked from the direction Neil had come from. She stood beside Neil leaned in and whispered something into his ear. Neil’s eyes lit up as he noticed the weapons in the party’s hands. He pointed at their firearms. "Nice weapons. Where’d you buy those?"

Zyra let out a heavy, dramatic sigh. "You ask too many questions?"

[Warning: Hostile entity incoming. Three-Headed Viper, Rank 4.] The System’s voice chimed in her mind.

A big rustle tore through the canopy, and a towering three-headed viper burst from the trees, fangs dripping with green venom.

"Look out!" A man screamed, running from the direction Neil had come from. More came, flanking Neil as if they were his guards. They fired at the snake, and very hiss coming from behind them.

Zyra didn’t even flinch. Smoothly bringing up her Lock Gun, she pulled the trigger pinning it instantly to the ground. Before the beast could struggle, Bullet hovered forward with a grin. His riffle roared, blasting a hole straight through the viper’s head. The creature shuddered once and went limp.

"Dibs on the energy stone!" Bullet cheered, pulling out a dagger and landing next to the carcass with infectious joy, like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Thank you, Miss...? Neil said, waiting for her to tell him who she was.

Zyra did not reply.

He smiled when she ignored him. "Anyway_ just do not go deeper in the dungeon."

Zyra casually rested the Lock Gun against her shoulder, turning her head to give Neil a deadpan look. "As you can see, we can clearly take care of ourselves."

Neil stood there, his charm oozing like oil seeping through cracks, slick, persistent, and hard to wash away. "I see and I’m impressed."

Then, with a cheeky smirk, Neil reached into his bag and pulled out a firearm_ a Lock Gun identical to Zyra’s. He twirled it around his finger like a flashy performer showing off a trick.

Zyra’s eyes narrowed instantly. Must have got that on the black market.

Neil gave her a knowing nod and casually started walking right down the very path he had just warned them against. "See you around, dangerous, gorgeous one."

Elfy watched Neil’s group vanish into the dense fog, tilting her head. "Well, they don’t seem like a threat I need to eliminate."

Bianca snorted, adjusting the strap of her bag. "They’re hunters, plain and simple. Flashy, arrogant, and way too loud. They were assessing the competition. Come on, let’s go get those roots and leave this damn snake habitat."