Chapter 404 - 338: Cruelty

Chapter 404: Chapter 338: Cruelty

In the three-man party, the leader was a Warrior, with a Ranger at his side.

At the very rear of the group was an Assassin.

This Assassin, however, completely lacked any sense of nimbleness or agility.

His stubble was unkempt and hadn’t been shaved in a long time. His face was covered in wrinkles, making him look quite old.

Furthermore, this Assassin was holding a Crystal Stone, seemingly searching for something.

"Dammit... more vines!"

The lead Warrior, Haver, hacked away the things blocking their path. He turned to glance at the Assassin, Old Delli, and grumbled impatiently.

"I’m telling you, Old Delli, is that thing of yours broken? Does it even work?"

"We’ve already left the Ancient Castle and ended up in this godforsaken place. Don’t go leading us into some remote ditch."

"It works, it works... Just be patient."

The Assassin known as Old Delli kept his eyes glued to the Crystal Stone in his hand.

A steady light emanated from within the Crystal Stone.

Old Delli raised the Crystal Stone, testing it in all four cardinal directions before pointing resolutely forward once more.

"Keep moving forward!"

"If this trip turns up empty, you’ll be sorry...!"

The Ranger, Sutton, was also displeased, clearly not trusting Old Delli’s directions either.

"Fortune favors the bold... You’re still young. Don’t you want to earn a little extra?"

Old Delli scratched his head. "And I’m old, so it’s a good chance to earn some retirement money."

It was no wonder Haver and Sutton didn’t trust Old Delli. The man was known for being eccentric and spent most of his time in taverns.

The reason they had formed a team this time was because Old Delli’s proposal had been too enticing.

"We’re going to find the entrance to the third floor of the ruins, beat everyone else to it, and be the first to create a guide that will sell like crazy!"

That’s what Old Delli had declared at the time.

A few days ago, nearly every Adventurer in Sengu Town had heard about a legendary business success.

A detailed guide mapping the ruins from the first to the second floor, priced at twenty Gold Coins, had sold dozens of copies, netting a profit of over a hundred Gold Coins!

They even knew the person who sold the guide—a fellow named Wells.

He was just a Junior Assassin, yet he’d managed to strike it rich like that!

Moreover, inside information suggested that Wells wasn’t the one who had originally found the route; he was just a partner, and someone else was behind it all.

This made the other Adventurers burn with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Over a hundred Gold Coins...!

Never mind Junior Professionals.

Even in the eyes of many Middle Level Professionals, this was a fortune not to be underestimated. It wouldn’t be surprising if swords were drawn and blood was spilled over it.

So many Adventurers were flooding into the second floor, not just to kill the Decayed for equipment drops.

Many also harbored the hope of finding the light-screen entrance to the third floor and selling that information for a profit.

But the Ancient Castle was vast. How could it be found so quickly?

At first, Haver and Sutton also thought Old Delli was just spouting nonsense.

What gave him the confidence to think he could find it?

For an Assassin, living past fifty was already considered quite a long life.

While his age gave him a wealth of experience, the Assassin was a profession that relied heavily on physical prowess.

Old Delli’s condition was no longer good enough for him to compete with the younger generation.

In the Adventurer trade, he had already been phased out.

The fate awaiting Old Delli was nothing more than taking on some second-rate tasks from the Adventurer’s Association to get by.

Or dying during some commission.

But then Old Delli had taken out that Crystal Stone.

It was said to be a treasure he obtained during his adventures years ago, its only function being the ability to detect spatial fluctuations.

In most situations, it was an item of very limited use, but now, it was perfect for finding the location of the light-screen.

Haver and Sutton had then seen with their own eyes how the Detection Crystal Stone emitted an unusual radiant fluctuation at both the first and second floor light-screen entrances.

Only then did the two agree to team up with Old Delli and act as the vanguards for this exploration.

Seeing Old Delli point so firmly, Haver could only suppress his frustration and continue clearing the path.

’We’ve come so far from the Ancient Castle already... Could the Detection Crystal Stone be wrong?’

As they walked, Haver’s gaze couldn’t help but drift over to Old Delli.

He also noticed that Sutton’s gaze seemed to be falling on Old Delli as well, whether intentionally or not.

When their eyes met, a silent understanding was reached.

’Yes...’

’Old Delli... he’s just too old...’

’So old he’s lost the quickness and agility of an Assassin.’

’So old that if he died in these ruins, no one would think it a pity.’

’Even if we can’t find the entrance to the third floor on this expedition, at the very least...’

’...at least we’ll have a guaranteed prize: this Crystal Stone that can detect spatial fluctuations.’

’This thing has to be worth some money, right?’

The further they walked, the more this bloody thought swelled in their minds.

It grew like a wild weed, almost to the point of consuming their thoughts.

Haver silently tightened his grip on his sword hilt, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Sutton’s gaze, too, began to wander. He went from warily scanning his surroundings to periodically sizing up Old Delli from head to toe.

Old Delli seemed completely oblivious to the slowly approaching danger.

His attention remained focused on the Detection Crystal Stone in his palm. ℯℯ𝘭.

The team, each member harboring ulterior motives, continued onward in silence for some time.

Just as this eerie atmosphere was about to reach its peak, a joyous shout shattered the silence.