Chapter 65: Instance: Animal Slaughterhouse

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Instance: Animal Slaughterhouse

A familiar system prompt suddenly rang out in her mind. Its cold, mechanical voice sent a shiver down Seraphina Sullivan’s spine.

[Ding! The seven-day preparation period has ended.]

[Ding! The Disaster Game is about to begin.]

[Ding! Player detected at Level 2. Privileges unlocked. Choose one of two dungeons.]

[Ding! Please select one of the following dungeons to enter.]

’It’s here!’

Seraphina’s heart clenched. She was curious to see how the game changed after reaching Level 2.

As the system’s voice faded, two option boxes radiating a dim, dark light appeared in Seraphina’s vision.

They floated before her like cold tombstones, and the faint scent of rust filled the air.

[Aberrant Radiation] or [Animal Slaughterhouse]

Both names gave off an ominous aura.

Seraphina took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She noticed a line of small text flickering beneath both options: [Selection Countdown: 00:59... 00:58...]

"Only a minute to decide..." Seraphina bit her lower lip and began to analyze her options quickly.

’Aberrant Radiation? A dungeon with radiation?’

An image of twisted, mutated creatures crawling across a wasteland filled with deadly rays flashed through her mind, their skin festering and their limbs deformed.

A sense of despair washed over her like a cold tide.

’Pass!’ Seraphina decisively rejected the option.

She had no professional radiation protection gear; entering a dungeon like this would be suicide.

What was even more terrifying was the word "Aberrant." It made Seraphina think this dungeon was definitely about more than just radiation. There had to be other dangers caused by it, or something else entirely.

If she chose this dungeon, perhaps she could rely on her [Worker] Talent to awaken a very powerful Profession.

But that was just a possibility. After all, the awakening from her Worker Talent was random and beyond her Control.

Survival was her top priority. Seraphina couldn’t rely on something as unpredictable as luck.

She then looked at the other option...

’Animal Slaughterhouse?’

The name sounded deceptively ordinary.

Compared to the names of previous dungeons in the Disaster Game—simple and brutal, like [Alien Apocalypse] or [Parasite Apocalypse], which made their dangers obvious—this one seemed out of place.

Seraphina pondered.

’A slaughterhouse... at least it sounds like a relatively enclosed environment, and... compared to [Aberrant Radiation], the name seemed almost... "mundane."’

It didn’t have the same soul-crushing, apocalyptic, sci-fi horror feel as [Aberrant Radiation].

"Slaughterhouse..." Seraphina repeated under her breath, her brow furrowed.

’Does it sound like some kind of bloody, manual labor site?’

’Although the word "slaughter" itself carries a heavy stench of blood, compared to unknown, pervasive radiation... at least this seems like an environment she could comprehend?’

’Are the dangers inside... predictable?’

A faint flicker of wishful thinking began to grow.

"Compared to that radiation dungeon, which sounds dangerous from the name alone, this ’slaughterhouse’... sounds... hmm, safer."

The thought struck Seraphina as absurd.

’How could there be anything truly "safe" in the Disaster Game?’

But in a desperate situation, people will instinctively grasp at any straw, even one that doesn’t seem particularly sharp.

The countdown had already reached 00:15. Seraphina had to make a decision.

"This is it! Animal Slaughterhouse!" Seraphina’s eyes narrowed as she made her choice.

[Ding! Player has selected the "Animal Slaughterhouse" dungeon.]

The moment her choice was confirmed, she felt a bone-chilling cold shoot up from the soles of her feet to her spine.

A thick stench of blood began to fill the air, and she could faintly hear the shrill howls of some unknown creature.

[Ding! Teleporting to the "Animal Slaughterhouse" dungeon.]

As soon as the system prompt faded, Seraphina felt the world spin.

Her body felt like it had been tossed into a washing machine, her vision reduced to a swirl of distorted light and shadow.

When she came to her senses, Seraphina found herself inside a massive cage.

The damp smell of rust assaulted her nostrils, and the cold metal bars of the cage pressed against her back.

She snapped her eyes open, adjusting to the dim light.

The place looked like an abandoned factory. A few dim, yellow pendant lamps hung from the high ceiling, their bulbs occasionally flickering with a CRACKLE of electricity.

Outside the cage, a wide concrete floor was stained with dark red smudges that looked like dried blood.

In the distance, the low hum of machinery and the chilling CLANK-CLANK of metal chains being dragged sent a shiver down her spine.

"So this is a Level 2 Disaster Game dungeon?" a man wearing a black metal mask spoke, his voice low and calm.

Seraphina quickly scanned her surroundings. Including herself, there were ten people in the cage.

Four of them were dressed strangely. One was wearing a heavy cloak, its hood obscuring their entire face.

Another wore a full-face helmet, their eyes hidden behind a dark visor.

A third was even wearing a hazmat suit, as if on guard against some deadly virus.

And the last was a woman in a bird-faced mask.

She immediately activated her [Eye of Resume], and pale blue information boxes appeared in her vision:

Information on these people materialized before her.

Just as she expected.

The ones who were completely covered up were clearly Players, while the rest—dressed in rags, their faces terrified, some even cowering and trembling in the corners—were the dungeon’s Native People.

’As I thought, veterans all hide their identities...’ Seraphina mused.

Thanks to her [Transformation Ring], her appearance had already changed the moment she was teleported, shifting from a beautiful young woman to an ordinary-looking nobody.

Now, she had to blend in.

So, she quickly changed her expression to mimic the Native People, putting on a look of terror and unease. She even began to tremble slightly, making herself appear completely non-threatening.

She didn’t yet know why these Native People were so afraid.

But she was about to find out.

Outside the cage, a heavy iron door slowly swung open with a harsh, metallic screech.

A hulking figure walked in.

It was a... "person"?

No, perhaps it could no longer be called a "person."

It wore a blood-stained Butcher’s apron, and its exposed skin had a strange, grayish-blue hue. Its muscles were gnarled, and its arms were as thick as the limbs of some beast.

But the most horrifying part was its head—it was a massive pig’s head.

The pig’s eyes were pitch-black and lifeless. Its mouth was split into a grin, revealing stark white tusks.

It dragged a huge cleaver, the blade scraping against the floor with a piercing sound, sending sparks flying.

"Today’s... delivery brought quite a bit of material... I just wonder which of you will become one of us, and which will become ingredients! Heh heh."

It grumbled in a low voice that seemed to be squeezed from the depths of its throat, thick with the wet sound of saliva.

Seraphina’s pupils contracted sharply.

In that moment, she finally understood why this dungeon was called "Animal Slaughterhouse."