Clearance

Chapter 49: Clearing the Dungeon

Core exposed.

Han Dong knew that with his current body, a prolonged fight was impossible.

Seizing the opportunity.

The Plague Doctor's Short Blade was gripped in his left hand.

Upon seeing an object resembling the core attached to the stomach lining, Han Dong thrust his sword forward.

The short blade was not only poisonous but also extremely sharp.

The core, lacking any protective layer, cracked from the sword's thrust... Visible plague energy overflowed from the tip of the blade, seeping into the core through the cracks!

Crack.

Completely shattered.

This 'stitched creature,' sustained by its core, collapsed like a puppets whose strings were cut, its body slumping to the ground like mud, its threat gone.

The Dark Moon Forest was territory of the Mysticism Department.

Han Dong suspected that even the crows perched on the branches could be monitoring his every move, so he didn't deploy any special metal syringes, nor did he risk drawing out the Stitched Creature's Cellular Essence.

"Hmm... what's going on with this forest?"

The forest didn't even allow Han Dong to thoroughly examine the dead Stitched Creature.

What appeared to be ordinary ground turned into a quagmire, sucking the Stitched Creature into it.

"Will it revive?!"

Han Dong couldn't confirm whether the Stitched Creature, absorbed underground, would revive and continue to attack them.

Seizing the moment, Han Dong helped Pasha up and hurried to leave the forest as quickly as possible.

One hour.

Thanks to Han Dong's excellent sense of direction, he successfully exited the bizarre Dark Moon Forest without taking any detours.

As for the suspicion of revival, it didn't materialize… The ground taking away the Stitched Creature was most likely for 'recycling.'

Gurgling water.

A clear stream, five meters wide, served as the boundary of the Dark Moon Forest, separating it from the central building area within.

By crossing an arched wooden bridge, they would reach the core building area of the Mysticism Department.

Before crossing the wooden bridge, the buildings were completely obscured by thick fog, making their overall scale impossible to discern.

"We... we finally got out! Thank you, Nicholas."

The Middle Eastern girl's eyes were filled with gratitude, and she looked like she was about to cry… Without Han Dong, she would have died long ago.

"Mm, we were lucky."

"Nicholas, let's quickly cross the wooden bridge and submit the test items in the main building… According to the test rules, it's not considered complete without submitting the items, and there might still be some danger involved."

Pasha was right; they had to hurry.

However, Han Dong stopped in the middle of the wooden bridge, staring at the clear stream flowing beneath it…

"Give me the item, won't you?"

Pasha looked bewildered at Han Dong's question, "What item?"

"The real iron box… you swapped it, didn't you? I don't know exactly when you swapped it, but if I submit this to the Mysticism Department building as is, I'll likely be judged as 'failed,' won't I?"

For a moment, the atmosphere shifted.

"It won't be a failure, just a deduction of points."

Suddenly, Pasha, whose ankle had been cut open by scissors, no longer needed to lean on the bridge railing… She stood on her own in the middle of the bridge, her expression blank.

Han Dong immediately turned, holding the short blade horizontally in front of him… The Ghoul Arm also activated its corresponding traits.

However, Pasha's next move was not to harm Han Dong.

Instead, she produced the real iron box containing the eyeballs from somewhere and presented it to Han Dong with both hands.

To a certain extent, this meant Pasha's true identity wasn't that of a petty and scheming student who deliberately swapped items to reap the test rewards alone.

Rather, she was an 'interference factor' in Han Dong's test.

Pasha widened her eyes and asked curiously, "When did you figure it out?"

Han Dong took the real iron box and, after confirming Pasha wasn't a 'petty schemer,' put away his short sword.

"I was suspicious from the start. It wasn't your acting, but a fundamental mistake you made… you relied on me too much.

Since joining the Destiny Space until now.

With my physical condition, teammates often look down on me the first time they see me, even doubting if I'm a Knight-Errant.

But when you appeared, you didn't hesitate at all and tried to team up with me.

According to your own words, you could have waited in the wooden cabin for the next Knight-Errant. There was no need to test with someone like me who has extremely poor physique and chose dangerous items."

"Perhaps you divined something in advance, but you were still too proactive, which made me suspicious... After all, my appearance can't possibly give any sense of security to someone of the opposite sex."

Pasha couldn't help but laugh at Han Dong's explanation.

"Hahaha!! This is interesting, so that's where the mistake was... Your body truly can't earn the trust of teammates. A body severely lacking in nutrition, all skin and bones, is indeed terrible.

Ah, a mistake."

Han Dong continued, "Of course, your performance was also too ordinary. You don't seem like a Knight-Errant who has experienced the 'Destiny Space' at all... Therefore, I'm almost certain that you're either deliberately playing the innocent to secretly swap key items and reap the rewards, or you're also part of the test."

Clap clap clap!

Hearing this, Pasha began to applaud.

"Impressive... Also, I have another question.

Why did you choose to stay when I lost my ability to move?

Was it due to your sense of [Justice], or did you guess my identity in advance, realizing that 'I' was also part of the test and might steal important items?

Is that why you chose to stay and fight around me?"

Han Dong said without reservation:

"It was a choice made from my own self-interest... In this current world, who would risk their life for a stranger they just met at the brink of death?

I merely considered that saving you might lead to a higher evaluation for the test.

Furthermore, your divination did attract the Stitched Creatures... This allowed us to gain the 'first move' advantage."

Pasha nodded, "Alright, you can report to the main building now."

With that said.

Pasha Buhat, the young girl, disappeared right in front of Han Dong.

At the same time, in the [Stargazing Room], a certain special individual showed a satisfied smile.

"Phew... I thought there would be another tough battle, but I didn't expect I'd only need to reveal my identity.

This test really assesses so many key points; it's troublesome if you're not careful."

As he crossed the wooden bridge, the thick fog dispersed on its own.

This was likely because Han Dong had entered the fog's barrier, thus no longer being affected by it.

It was completely different from the Knight Training Building Han Dong had imagined.

Standing before him was a colossal, ancient castle tower that pierced the clouds.

With its medieval architectural style, it appeared to be constructed from dark grey stone bricks on the surface. In reality, it might have used some special material, making the building exude an immense sense of pressure on ordinary people.

Moreover, Han Dong realized a problem.

"That's strange, a building that reaches the clouds should be very conspicuous... Why couldn't I see it from the outskirts of the school? Could it be that some magical means were used to hide this building?"

To approach the ancient castle tower, he still had to cross a cemetery filled with dense, yin energy.

The cemetery was so vast that there was no way to go around it... It seemed the cemetery was the 'front yard' of the castle.

Just as Han Dong was carefully walking along the stone-paved path laid in the center of the cemetery.

A creepy, long-haired arm suddenly shot out from the side of the graveyard... This sudden jump-scare startled Han Dong, and he immediately turned to prepare for a fight.

What crawled out was an 'occupant' of the cemetery.

As it crawled out, it put on a relatively tidy formal suit and inserted two spare eyeballs into its empty sockets.

After connecting its tongue and false teeth, it made a 'relatively friendly' sound:

"New Knight-Errant, I am your temporary butler - Aggy. I will now lead you into the [Dark Moon Tower]."